Red Ribbon Bearers Say No to Drugs

There is no song--yet--about tying a big red ribbon ‘round the old oak tree.

But red ribbons are unfurling in Orange County, and all over California this week. The wearing of red ribbons, which was widespread in Tustin and Anaheim schools on Monday, is part of a statewide campaign against drugs and alcohol abuse. Many other schools in Orange County are expected to take part in the ribbon-wearing during the rest of this week.

And in Newport Beach Monday, students presented red ribbons to Police Chief Arb Campbell and other police officials. This week has been designated “Red Ribbon Campaign” by the California Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs, a state agency that is co-sponsoring the ribbon-wearing with a private organization, Californians for Drug-Free Youth.

A spokesman for the state agency in Sacramento said Monday that the red-ribbon campaign quickly became “a statewide phenomenon, and we’re almost certain it’ll now become a yearly event. . . . The program has been adopted very strongly in all the Southern California counties.”

Gladly Joined Campaign

In Tustin, a private organization called Parents Who Care sent out form letters recently urging widespread wearing of red ribbons to underscore anti-drug efforts. “It is time to take a position and say ‘no’ to drugs,” said the letter.

Tustin Unified School District gladly joined in the campaign, Supt. Maurice Ross said.

“I’m wearing one of the ribbons myself,” he said. “I think something like this helps promote awareness of the problem, and I see that as a good thing. I especially like the idea that the whole community is involved because the children are only with us in the schools a few hours, and drug abuse is a problem of the community, not just the schools.”

Harold Cebrun, administrator of pupil services in Tustin Unified School District, said he had checked Monday “and I found that every school in our district is taking part with the wearing of the ribbons. All our administrators and staff are also wearing red ribbons.”

At Tustin High School, Principal Peggy Lynch said, “Our ASB (Associated Student Body) is taking charge of this and is very interested. At lunch time today, students were passing out ribbons. There were some students already wearing ribbons today, and I think it’s going to pick up during the rest of the week.”

Lynch said that she was wearing her red ribbon “in sort of a loop, but I’ll probably wear a bow tomorrow.”

Cynthia Grennan, superintendent of Anaheim Union High School District, said the ribbons were also prevalent Monday in the high schools and junior highs in her district. “There are red ribbons on buildings, on school buses, on thousands of students and teachers,” she said. “I think it’s an excellent idea, and you know, if this had been attempted three to five years ago, I don’t think many would have taken part. But now it’s as if the kids want to listen and break away from drugs. The whole national effort is beginning to produce results. “Some of our ribbons have printed on them, ‘I Dare To Say No.’ And one principal told me the students really like this; they have reasons to say ‘no’ to drugs now, and they want to wear the ribbons.”

Grennan and others educators interviewed on Monday said they had no idea why the color red was picked for the anti-drug ribbons. But, Grennan added, “red is classy. I like it.”

In Sacramento, John R. Valencia, communications director for the state Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs, said that red was picked as the ribbon color for two reasons. “First, red symbolizes the anger people are feeling about drug abuse. Our slogan is, ‘See red, say no.’ And secondly, red is a very visible color, and it brings out a visceral response.”

‘Big Phenomenon

Valencia said that the idea of ribbon-wearing against drugs is not new. “Two states back East tried this a couple of years ago with mixed results,” Valencia said. “But we got immediate interest when we started planning this last summer. It is a big phenomenon in this state. We know for sure that 42 of the (58) counties in the state are participating this week. I’m not exaggerating when I tell you that hundreds of thousands of people are taking part. This is getting to be big.”

Wearing of yellow ribbons became a national protest symbol in 1979-80, when the government of revolutionary Iran held American citizens hostage in the U.S. Embassy in Tehran for more than a year. The hostages were seized Nov. 4, 1979, and the final 52 Americans were not released until Jan. 20, 1981, the day President Reagan was inaugurated.

The yellow ribbons were inspired by the popular song about a returning prisoner--”Tie A Yellow Ribbon ‘Round the Old Oak Tree.”