By Georgette Delosreyes, Senior According to the National Family Partnership (Red Ribbon Campaign), since 1985, the Red Ribbon has touched the lives of millions of people around the world. In response to the murder of 37-year-old Enrique Camarena, angered parents and youth in communities across the country began wearing Red Ribbons as a symbol of their commitment to raise awareness of the killing and destruction cause by drugs in America.
Enrique Camarena who also went by the name of “Kiki,” was a Drug Enforcement Administration Agent who was tortured and killed in Mexico in 1985. When he decided to join the US Drug Enforcement Administration, his mother tried to talk him out of it. "I'm only one person," he told her, "but I want to make a difference." On February 7, 1985, Camarena left his office to meet his wife for lunch. Five men appeared at the agent's side and shoved him in a car. One month later, Camarena's body was found. He had been tortured to death. In honor of Camarena's memory and his battle against illegal drugs, friends and neighbors began to wear red badges of satin. Red Ribbon Week is an alcohol, tobacco, and other drug and violence prevention awareness campaign observed annually in October in the United States October 23-October 31 each year. This event represents the nationwide commitment to raising drug awareness in our schools. To learn more about this campaign, see the website for Red Ribbon Week: http://redribbon.org/
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