11TH ANNUAL NATIONAL GUN VIOLENCE AWARENESS DAY AND WEAR ORANGE CAMPAIGN BEGINS TODAY AS PART OF NATIONWIDE EFFORT DEMANDING AN END TO AMERICA’S GUN VIOLENCE CRISIS

Gun Safety Advocates, Survivors of Gun Violence, Elected Officials and More to Gather At More Than 600 Events in Recognition of Wear Orange Across All 50 States and Washington, D.C.

NEW YORK — Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund announced that today, Friday, June 6, will mark National Gun Violence Awareness Day and the beginning of Wear Orange weekend, June 7–8. For the 11th year, countless people nationwide will join together and wear orange to honor survivors of gun violence and demand a future free from gun violence. 

So far, there are more than 600 #WearOrange events scheduled across all 50 states and Washington D.C., featuring Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action volunteers, other gun safety advocates, community partners, mayors, elected officials, law enforcement, athletes, students, survivors of gun violence, nonprofit organizations, cultural influencers, corporate brands, and more. This year for Wear Orange, gun safety advocates are focused on not only raising awareness, but on the many actionable steps that individuals can take to protect their families and communities, including building community partnerships and educating the public on responsible gun ownership and the secure storage of firearms.

“This weekend is a powerful reminder of the countless lives shattered by gun violence—and the millions of people who refuse to accept this as our reality,” said Angela Ferrell-Zabala, executive director of Moms Demand Action. “When folks across the country wear orange, it’s a bold, visible moment to honor those taken too soon, and send a clear message that we’re not going anywhere until this crisis ends.”

“Every year, I’m in awe of all the supporters who come together to honor my baby girl Hadiya and all the survivors out there who know this pain first hand,” said Cleopatra Cowley, mother of Hadiya Pendleton and Co-Founder of Hadiya’s Promise. “I’m so proud that Hadiya’s legacy continues to shine and inspire peace. Our families deserve to live without the threat of gun violence, and I’ll never stop standing right beside our allies to end our nation’s gun violence crisis.”

Wear Orange originated on June 2, 2015 — what would have been Hadiya Pendleton’s 18th birthday. It began with teenagers who wanted to honor their friend, Hadiya, after she was shot and killed on a playground in Chicago a little over one week after marching as a majorette in President Obama’s second inaugural parade. Now, Wear Orange honors Hadiya and the 125 people shot and killed every day in the United States, as well as the hundreds more who are shot and wounded, and the countless others whose lives have been changed by gun violence.

A sample of this weekend’s events include a vigil in Grosse Pointe and a rally in Detroit, Michigan; the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury will play their annual Wear Orange game against the Seattle Storm in Phoenix, Arizona; a community gathering in Little Rock and a block party in Springdale, Arkansas; a rally in Prairie Village and a community walk in Junction City, Kansas; a community event and craft activity in Boston, Massachusetts; blood drives across Texas; and community walks in Jackson, Mississippi, Greenville, South Carolina, and San Francisco, California across the Golden Gate Bridge.

**Please contact [email protected] for any event details**

The Wear Orange campaign will showcase the breadth of the gun violence prevention movement. Additional details announced today include: 

• Students Demand Action’s annual Wear Orange Honor Cord program shared more than 1,400 orange honor cords with graduating students nationwide to recognize their work in the gun violence prevention movement and to uplift student survivors of gun violence. This year’s honor cords covered 215 unique schools across 37 states.
• Wear Orange is teaming up with the professional sports community once again, with expected support from more than 50 teams representing every major professional league and dozens of individual athletes, including Alejandro Bedoya, Natasha Cloud, Meghan Klingenberg, Hilary Knight, Devereaux Peters, Joakim Noah, and Brandon Short. The WNBPA will partner with Wear Orange again this year with player-led engagement across the entire League. The Connecticut Sun, Phoenix Mercury, Pittsburgh Pirates, San Diego Wave, San Francisco Giants, and Washington Mystics will host gun violence survivors, volunteers, and community advocates at their Wear Orange home games. Teams from every league will participate in awareness-raising campaigns, including a #BayAreaUnite PSA featuring the 49ers, Earthquakes, Giants, Sharks, Valkyries, and Warriors. Other teams, from Miami to Dallas to Seattle, will illuminate their stadiums or arenas orange, post to social media, and elevate the work of community-based partners.
• A strong cohort of corporate brands are supporting Wear Orange, including Clare V and Lamar Advertising Company digital billboards.
• More than 100 non-profit organizations and faith partners  will continue to join the campaign this weekend, including Brady: United Against Gun Violence, Center for American Progress, GIFFORDS, Hispanic Federation, Lives Robbed, NAACP, National Action Network, National Education Association, Newtown Action Alliance, and Voto Latino. 
• Members of Congress will Wear Orange, post on social media, and join events nationwide. Rep. Robin Kelly (IL-02) and Sens. Dick Durbin (IL) and Tammy Duckworkth (IL) have introduced resolutions recognizing June 6 as National Gun Violence Awareness Day and June as National Gun Violence Awareness Month to honor Hadiya’s birthday – June 2, 1997 – and to remember all victims and survivors of gun violence. 
• Governors, lieutenant governors, attorneys general, and state lawmakers, including Alabama State Representative Phillip Ensler, Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers, Oregon Governor Tina Kotek, Delaware Governor Matt Meyer, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, Kansas State Representative Jo Ella Hoye, and the California State Legislative Gun Violence Prevention Working Group, will recognize Wear Orange by speaking at and attending events, posting on social media, or issuing state proclamations recognizing June 6 as National Gun Violence Awareness Day.
• Nearly 170 mayors and city officials will participate in the Wear Orange campaign including more than 45 members of Mayors Against Illegal Guns, by issuing proclamations declaring June 6 as National Gun Violence Awareness Day and posting on social media.

For more details about events happening during Wear Orange weekend, please contact [email protected]. More information about Wear Orange is available at WearOrange.org.