A Guide to Ribbons

Red Ribbon Week at my elementary school was a big affair! We wrapped the trees and fences in scarlet, draped the walls of our classrooms with red lettering and crepe paper. It was a colorful motivation for kids to learn about the hazards of drugs. And then in high school after we'd suffered the loss of several students to suicide, our campus was suddenly fluttering with yellow ribbons. I safety pinned one to my letterman jacket, and its still there... tattered but full of meaning. Now it seems that every major social issue has its own ribbon. They hang from every lapel, bumper and tree, reminders of what we should seek to understand, or attempt to put a stop to. But there are so many now... who can keep track? Let's try.