SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Members of National Nurses United, the largest nurses union in the United States, protest in front of the White House April 21, 2020 in Washington, D.C. (Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images)
'Listen... And Take Action': In Front of White House, Nurses Read Names of Colleagues Who Have Died From Covid-19
"We are here because our colleagues are dying. I think that right now people think of us as heroes, but we're feeling like martyrs. We're feeling like we're being left on the battlefield with nothing."
Apr 21, 2020
Dozens of nurses gathered outside the White House Tuesday and--while wearing face masks and adhering to social distancing guidelines--read aloud the names of 50 fellow healthcare workers who have died of Covid-19 in an effort to pressure Congress and President Donald Trump to provide frontline workers with adequate protective equipment.
"We're tired of being treated as if we are expendable."
--Deborah Burger, National Nurses United
"We're demanding that the Trump administration and the U.S. Congress listen to these names, all dedicated nurses who have left families, friends, and colleagues behind," said Melody Jones, a member of National Nurses United (NNU), the union that organized the demonstration. "Listen to their names and take action."
"Let us remember and honor the ultimate sacrifice these nurses paid, mourn their passing, and recommit ourselves to fight like hell for the living," said Jones.
Watch:
\u201cThis morning nurses protested for PPE - in front of the White House.\n\nThey read the names of healthcare workers who have given their lives trying to save others from COVID-19.\n\nAnd the list felt endless.\n\nThis situation is unacceptable. We need to support our nurses. Now.\u201d— Read Jackson Rising by @CooperationJXN (@Read Jackson Rising by @CooperationJXN) 1587477587
\u201cRest of the segment where nurses read names, first vid is incomplete:\u201d— Read Jackson Rising by @CooperationJXN (@Read Jackson Rising by @CooperationJXN) 1587477587
NNU, the largest nurses union in the U.S., has for weeks been urging the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to enact an emergency temporary standard to ensure that all healthcare workers have the protective equipment they need to do their essential jobs safely. The Labor Department agency has thus far refused to act on the nurses' demand.
"We are here because our colleagues are dying," one nurse who participated in Tuesday's demonstration toldMSNBC. "I think that right now people think of us as heroes, but we're feeling like martyrs. We're feeling like we're being left on the battlefield with nothing."
An analysis released last week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that more than 9,200 healthcare workers have tested positive for the novel coronavirus as of April 9. The CDC acknowledged that the number "is likely an underestimation."
"We're tired of being treated as if we are expendable," NNU president Deborah Burger told the Washington Post. "If we are killed in this pandemic, there won't be anybody to take care of the rest of the sick people that are going to come."
"Everybody says they love nurses, they want to protect us," said Burger, "but we still don't have the safety gear that we need."
Watch the demonstration:
An Unconstitutional Rampage
Trump and Musk are on an unconstitutional rampage, aiming for virtually every corner of the federal government. These two right-wing billionaires are targeting nurses, scientists, teachers, daycare providers, judges, veterans, air traffic controllers, and nuclear safety inspectors. No one is safe. The food stamps program, Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid are next. It’s an unprecedented disaster and a five-alarm fire, but there will be a reckoning. The people did not vote for this. The American people do not want this dystopian hellscape that hides behind claims of “efficiency.” Still, in reality, it is all a giveaway to corporate interests and the libertarian dreams of far-right oligarchs like Musk. Common Dreams is playing a vital role by reporting day and night on this orgy of corruption and greed, as well as what everyday people can do to organize and fight back. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover issues the corporate media never will, but we can only continue with our readers’ support. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
centers for disease control (cdc)coronavirushealthcarenational nurses unitedpandemicpublic healthtrumpism
Dozens of nurses gathered outside the White House Tuesday and--while wearing face masks and adhering to social distancing guidelines--read aloud the names of 50 fellow healthcare workers who have died of Covid-19 in an effort to pressure Congress and President Donald Trump to provide frontline workers with adequate protective equipment.
"We're tired of being treated as if we are expendable."
--Deborah Burger, National Nurses United
"We're demanding that the Trump administration and the U.S. Congress listen to these names, all dedicated nurses who have left families, friends, and colleagues behind," said Melody Jones, a member of National Nurses United (NNU), the union that organized the demonstration. "Listen to their names and take action."
"Let us remember and honor the ultimate sacrifice these nurses paid, mourn their passing, and recommit ourselves to fight like hell for the living," said Jones.
Watch:
\u201cThis morning nurses protested for PPE - in front of the White House.\n\nThey read the names of healthcare workers who have given their lives trying to save others from COVID-19.\n\nAnd the list felt endless.\n\nThis situation is unacceptable. We need to support our nurses. Now.\u201d— Read Jackson Rising by @CooperationJXN (@Read Jackson Rising by @CooperationJXN) 1587477587
\u201cRest of the segment where nurses read names, first vid is incomplete:\u201d— Read Jackson Rising by @CooperationJXN (@Read Jackson Rising by @CooperationJXN) 1587477587
NNU, the largest nurses union in the U.S., has for weeks been urging the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to enact an emergency temporary standard to ensure that all healthcare workers have the protective equipment they need to do their essential jobs safely. The Labor Department agency has thus far refused to act on the nurses' demand.
"We are here because our colleagues are dying," one nurse who participated in Tuesday's demonstration toldMSNBC. "I think that right now people think of us as heroes, but we're feeling like martyrs. We're feeling like we're being left on the battlefield with nothing."
An analysis released last week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that more than 9,200 healthcare workers have tested positive for the novel coronavirus as of April 9. The CDC acknowledged that the number "is likely an underestimation."
"We're tired of being treated as if we are expendable," NNU president Deborah Burger told the Washington Post. "If we are killed in this pandemic, there won't be anybody to take care of the rest of the sick people that are going to come."
"Everybody says they love nurses, they want to protect us," said Burger, "but we still don't have the safety gear that we need."
Watch the demonstration:
Dozens of nurses gathered outside the White House Tuesday and--while wearing face masks and adhering to social distancing guidelines--read aloud the names of 50 fellow healthcare workers who have died of Covid-19 in an effort to pressure Congress and President Donald Trump to provide frontline workers with adequate protective equipment.
"We're tired of being treated as if we are expendable."
--Deborah Burger, National Nurses United
"We're demanding that the Trump administration and the U.S. Congress listen to these names, all dedicated nurses who have left families, friends, and colleagues behind," said Melody Jones, a member of National Nurses United (NNU), the union that organized the demonstration. "Listen to their names and take action."
"Let us remember and honor the ultimate sacrifice these nurses paid, mourn their passing, and recommit ourselves to fight like hell for the living," said Jones.
Watch:
\u201cThis morning nurses protested for PPE - in front of the White House.\n\nThey read the names of healthcare workers who have given their lives trying to save others from COVID-19.\n\nAnd the list felt endless.\n\nThis situation is unacceptable. We need to support our nurses. Now.\u201d— Read Jackson Rising by @CooperationJXN (@Read Jackson Rising by @CooperationJXN) 1587477587
\u201cRest of the segment where nurses read names, first vid is incomplete:\u201d— Read Jackson Rising by @CooperationJXN (@Read Jackson Rising by @CooperationJXN) 1587477587
NNU, the largest nurses union in the U.S., has for weeks been urging the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to enact an emergency temporary standard to ensure that all healthcare workers have the protective equipment they need to do their essential jobs safely. The Labor Department agency has thus far refused to act on the nurses' demand.
"We are here because our colleagues are dying," one nurse who participated in Tuesday's demonstration toldMSNBC. "I think that right now people think of us as heroes, but we're feeling like martyrs. We're feeling like we're being left on the battlefield with nothing."
An analysis released last week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that more than 9,200 healthcare workers have tested positive for the novel coronavirus as of April 9. The CDC acknowledged that the number "is likely an underestimation."
"We're tired of being treated as if we are expendable," NNU president Deborah Burger told the Washington Post. "If we are killed in this pandemic, there won't be anybody to take care of the rest of the sick people that are going to come."
"Everybody says they love nurses, they want to protect us," said Burger, "but we still don't have the safety gear that we need."
Watch the demonstration:
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.