Black ribbon

A black ribbon is a symbol of remembrance or mourning. Wearing or displaying a black ribbon has been used for POW/MIA remembrance, mourning tragedies or as a political statement.

Sign of mourning

Similar to a black armband, the black ribbon is a public display of grief. Individuals or organizations display the ribbon in commemoration of victims after specific incidents. Some examples have included:

• 9/11 - This ribbon is a sign of mourning for those killed in the September 11th attack.
• In New Zealand, a black ribbon was worn by family members after the deaths of 29 trapped miners who died in an explosion on November 25, 2010.
• In Poland, a black ribbon was worn by mourners of Polish president Lech Kaczyński, his wife, and 95 other important senior officials who died on April 10, 2010.
• In the United Kingdom after the death of Diana, Princess of Wales in 1997.
• The black ribbon has again made an appearance shortly after category 5 Hurricane Katrina landed along the Gulf Coast of the United States in August 2005.
• The black ribbon was a symbol of popular grief in Spain after the 11 March 2004 Madrid attacks. It was worn on clothing and also pinned on the Spanish flag.
• Google displayed a black ribbon as a mark of respect and sympathy for victims of 9/11, the 7 July 2005 London bombings, and victims of Hurricane Katrina.
• After the April 2007 Virginia Tech massacre^[1]
• After the earthquake on August 15, 2007 in Peru, black ribbons were the icons of all Peruvian television channels for 3 days
• After the death of Heath Ledger in January 2008, Warner Brothers placed a black ribbon on their marketing website for The Dark Knight in his memory.
• The black ribbon has been also used by the journalists in the Philippines to condemn the killings of journalists on the Maguindanao massacre.^[2]
• In Northern Ireland, Bloody Sunday 1972 - to remember the murders and attempted murders of civilians at the peak of The Troubles.
• Police officers often wear black ribbons in mourning of fallen officers.
• 20 July 2012: The 12 people killed, out of the 71 shot, at the midnight premiere of The Dark Knight Rises in Aurora, Colorado.
• 14 December 2012: The 2012 Connecticut shooting; 26 killed, 20 were children, at an elementary school in Newtown Connecticut.
• In the United States to remember construction workers who died after being hit by motorists.
• Turks use the black ribbon to mourn for the casualties of Turkish soldiers in the Turkey-PKK conflict.
• The 2013 London Marathon runners were given a black ribbon to wear to mark the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings.^[3]

Other meanings

• Melanoma Awareness - To bring awareness to melanoma and worn by people who know someone or are themselves affected by melanoma. Sometimes shown as black with white polka dots.
• In Argentina, a black ribbon, sometimes with the national flag's colours in both ends, is used to raise awareness about the victims of subversive terrorism.
• By the Anarchist Black Ribbon Campaign, a free speech campaign started in 1996 inspired by the Blue Ribbon Online Free Speech Campaign.^[4][5]
• During the 6th International Israeli Apartheid Week (IAW) the black ribbon was worn worldwide to show support and promote awareness of the Palestinian struggle.
• In India, 2011 to show support to Anna Hazare who was fasting to fight against corruption by government.
• Narcolepsy Awareness-To bring awareness to narcolepsy worn by anybody who supports Narcolepsy awareness.
• Worn by people who has suffered from any intentions of self harming on November 30 of every year.

In fiction

• In the Discworld novels by Terry Pratchett, the black ribbon is worn by vampires to show that they have sworn never to drink blood again.

Variations of the ribbon

• 

  London Ribbon

• 

  TortureProtest.org black ribbon campaign

• 

  Melanoma Awareness Ribbon Alternative with White Polka Dots

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mourning ribbons.

• The TortureProtest.org Black Ribbon Campaign