If you see the White House today, you can’t miss a huge change at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue – a massive pink ribbon in the front of the grand entrance.
Workers put up the oversize ribbon on Monday, October 26, in support of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. First Lady Michelle Obama hosted an earlier event to increase awareness and spoke out about this disease. "It wasn't that long ago that people thought that breast cancer was something to be ashamed of and to keep it a secret; something that you didn't discuss in polite company," she said. "Some people even wondered, if you can believe it or not, whether breast cancer was contagious. And at the first fundraising lunch hosted by the Komen Foundation, the description of the event was written in one paper as a 'women's cancer event,' because the word "breast" was considered too risqué to print."
Last October, the White House joined a worldwide campaign to cast more than 200 landmarks around the globe in a pink glow to commemorate breast cancer awareness. During a ceremony at the White House, First Lady Laura Bush flipped a switch and the building was suddenly bathed in pink through special lighting. Mrs. Bush said, “We're showing our support of breast cancer awareness and research in a historic way. In recognition of the mothers, daughters, sisters and wives who struggle with this disease, we're lighting the White House in pink, which is the color of the cause. May our lights tonight shine as beacons around the world, a signal of the United States' commitment to saving lives for breast cancer.
Two former First Ladies are breast cancer survivors; Betty Ford and Nancy Reagan. The new pink ribbon at the White House honors them and all other survivors while reminding all of us to support research to help prevent this disease.