Activists around the country are asking everyone to join them in wearing orange Friday, June 7 and throughout the weekend. The idea was sparked after the murder of 15-year-old Hadiya Pendleton, who was shot and killed on the Southside of Chicago after returning from President Barack Obama's second inauguration in early 2013.
Celebrities, athletes and politicians alike are all joining the movement to end gun violence. Sports Illustrated reported that multiple basketball and football players are supporting the movement, with the Golden State Warriors inviting activist before Game 4 of the NBA Finals.
Cities United supports a network of 130 cities. EVERY city has a Hadiya Pendleton – the young victim of gun violence we honor thru the #WearOrange campaign.
EVERY city has families who mourn & grieve.
EVERY city deserves to be safe, healthy & hopeful for all.
EVERY city. pic.twitter.com/j75oclsUpJ— Cities United (@CitiesUnited) June 7, 2019
#NYLiberty fans, @nograyareas21 has a special message encouraging all of you in attendance at tonight’s game to #wearorange in honor of #HadiyaPendleton and #gunviolence victims. #LibertyLoud???? pic.twitter.com/VxXjpZItZ6
— New York Liberty (@nyliberty) June 7, 2019
The @Everytown council's founding members include the @MsPeters14, @JoakimNoah, @XavierRhodes29_, @delaniewalker82 and @dwa5hington. The Golden State Warriors will host survivors of gun violence and @MomsDemand volunteers for Game 4 of the 2019 NBA Finals. https://t.co/PBdeUChCao
— Shannon Watts (@shannonrwatts) June 6, 2019
Last week, it was Virginia Beach. But day after day and year after year, too many families and communities are shattered by senseless gun violence. We can't get numb to this. On National Gun Violence Awareness Day, pledge to speak out, #WearOrange — and vote — to protect lives.
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) June 7, 2019
Today, and every day we honor the victims of gun violence and fight for a future free from these tragedies. #WearOrange
pic.twitter.com/EigJzM3G0y— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) June 7, 2019
"I’m thrilled to be one of the founders of Everytown’s Athletic Council. The movement to end gun violence is really important to me and my family,” said Memphis Grizzlies Center Joakim Noah, who played with the Chicago Bulls at the time of Pendleton's murder. " … Through this Council, we will be able to build on this work and raise even more awareness that the current situation is not acceptable and that we each can play a role in ending gun violence.”
The color or age was selected being the color that hunters wear to stand out in order to make themselves less likely to be a target of accidental fire. Organizers are asking that participants post pictures of themselves in the color to social media to help raise awareness of the issue. Their goal is to make the color the mass uniform every year on the first Friday of June until the problem of gun violence is solved.
“Whether it’s worn by students in Montana, activists in New York, or Hadiya’s loved ones in Chicago, the color orange honors the more than 100 lives cut short and the hundreds more wounded by gun violence every day,” according to WearOrange official website.
