Wednesday, December 16, 2015

Monday, December 14, 2015

Karen Higgins (Co-President of National Nurses Unitied) speech at Climate Rally in Boston December 12, 2015

We are here today to take a stand against inaction.  Today is about justice; social justice, justice on the job, and just climate action to protect all of our futures.  Too many times, we’ve let inaction win out.  We have allowed the slow and steady degradation of unions as a result of inaction.  And despite the recent talks in Paris, our unwillingness to take meaningful action on climate change means that everyone on Earth continues to suffer its dire consequences. . But today we take a stand. Today we say no to apathy. We say no to inaction. How do we do this? We do it by calling for leadership. We need leaders to step up at the federal, state, and local level.  We need leadership to come from right here Massachusetts has shown leadership on issues like gay rights, health care and worker rights We need this kind of leadership again, now more than ever. There will be no climate justice, social justice or job justice without it. Without strong leadership we cannot ensure the health and well-being of our children and grandchildren.  Climate change, unchecked, will devastate our future. Its impact is far-reaching, its health implications  are enormous.  As nurses we see this every day.  We see the  rates of childhood asthma and other respiratory illnesses are on the rise We know that air and water contamination has caused higher instances of cancer. We have seen thousands of people lose their lives to harsher and harsher natural disasters.  All of us being here today demonstrates that we are committed to taking the necessary action to make the changes we need. We are committed to a $15 an hour minimum wage, to passing a national, singlepayer healthcare law, and to creating a truly clean energy economy that is good for job creation and our planet. Now is the time for us to lead.  We must make these changes for ourselves and for future generations. Our actions can influence millions. Together we can leave our world in better shape than how we found it. That would be justice.