Members of Congress wore purple ribbons at the State of the Union address to raise awareness about the opioid epidemic and substance use disorders. Purple ribbons have also been worn to raise awareness about Alzheimer’s disease, Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), pancreatic cancer, animal abuse, Crohn’s disease and lupus.
Like the silver ribbon, the purple ribbon has also been worn to raise awareness about elder abuse. They are worn in October to symbolize Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM). Purple ribbons also symbolize and increase awareness about the following causes:
- ADHD
- Alzheimer’s Disease
- Cerebrospinal Fluid Leak (CSF)
- Cystic Fibrosis
- Fibromyalgia
- Religious Tolerance
- Sarcoidosis Awareness
- Thyroid Cancer
- Trisomy 9 Awareness
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| What Does The Purple Ribbon Mean? |
Purple And Black Ribbons
Purple and black ribbons are worn to raise awareness about Tracheostomy and Necrotizing Enterocolitis. A Tracheostomy is a surgical hole made directly through a person’s neck into their trachea to help them breath. Necrotizing Enterocolitis is a disease that affects the intestine of premature infants.
Opioid Epidemic
The video below shows President Donald Trump address the Opioid epidemic during the State of the Union. He explains that in 2016, drug overdoses killed roughly 64,000 people in the United States. That’s 174 deaths per day, 7 per hour. President Trump proclaimed that we must get tougher on drug dealers if we expect this number to decrease.
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