National Nurses United

battle. I don't think it is by happenstance that we are brought together by caregivers because I think at the very heart of the revolu- tion that we are talking about is a revolution in shifting our political and economic system away from one based on endless taking…to a society that is grounded in that first principle of caretaking, of car- ing for the earth and for one another." Nurses were likewise energized by the chance to talk to, network, and meet face-to-face key allies in their struggle to advocate for the health of their patients and communities. "We are very excited about being here among all our likeminded friends," said Jean Ross, RN and member of the NNU Council of Presidents. "We looked at the Bernie campaign as the beginning of something really special and necessary in this country, and we look forward to continuing on our journey." Participants heard from an all-star lineup of leading activists, thinkers, community leaders, and key staff and surrogates from the Sanders campaign on the significance of this populist moment in the nation's history and what we can and should do next. Though it looked unlikely that Sanders could capture the Democratic nomina- tion, many people were also hopeful and amazed by how many mil- lions of citizens had backed his campaign with volunteer work and small donations, how—against the odds—far the campaign had run, and what those successes signified for the efforts to realize systemic change for the United States. Some organization and community representatives shared sto- ries of victories they have achieved in the fields of workers' rights and union organizing, in environmental justice, and in civil rights. NNU member Allysha Almada, a Southern California registered nurse who had been fired for helping to unionize her hospital, urged the audience that they "cannot stay silent. You will have many trou- bles along this road to justice, but I encourage you, implore you, beg you to stay strong. Nurses are here for you." Dominique Scott, a student activist from the University of Mis- sissippi, explained how students prevailed in forcing the school to take down the state flag, which contains the Confederate flag, to many a symbol of slavery, racism, and white supremacy. "We pres- sured our administration to take down that flag. We were told that it wouldn't happen, but it did," said Scott. In addition to speakers' talks, participants also engaged in small- er breakout conversations with activists from their hometown areas and states to strategize about how they can build the movement at the local, grassroots level. Hands-on activist training workshops were also popular with summit goers, with topics ranging from how to stage peaceful acts of civil disobedience and resistance, to how to start engaging in citizen journalism, to how to incorporate art and other cultural mediums into movement messaging. A celebrity lineup of actor, musician, and comedian supporters of the movement treated summit participants Friday night to a special performance titled "The People Speak and Sing!" in which they used their art and craft to deliver dramatic readings of select- ed testimonies from real people throughout U.S. history who struggled against racism, slavery, war, oppression, and exploita- tion. The audience "heard" from Frederick Douglass on the 18 N A T I O N A L N U R S E W W W . N A T I O N A L N U R S E S U N I T E D . O R G M A R C H | A P R I L 2 0 1 6

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