Wear Orange National Gun Violence Awareness Day
Wear Orange Weekend is June 7-9
Wear Orange was inspired by the tragic death of Hadiya Pendleton. One week after marching in President Obama’s second inaugural parade, Hadiya was shot and killed in a playground in Chicago in January 2013,
Hadiya Pendleton had hopes of studying abroad one day. Instead of planning for this optimistic future, her family was planning her funeral. Eighteen-year-old Hadiya was not the intended target. She shot in the back and killed while standing with friends at a park in Chicago. The group she was standing with was mistaken for members of a gang.
Soon after, Hadiya’s friends commemorated her life by wearing orange, the color hunters wear in the woods to protect themselves and others. Wear Orange is now observed every June. Thousands of people wear the color orange to honor Hadiya and the more than 43,000 Americans are killed with guns and approximately 76,000 more are shot and wounded every year.
Survivors of gun violence are not only the direct victims. Survivors are friends, family and community members who live with this pain. Their hearts are emblazoned with the scars of their losses.
But as incidents of gun violence have grown, so too has the movement to stop it. Moms Demand Action and Wear Orange advocate for the safe and lawful use of guns.
Moms Demand Action continues to educate, raise awareness, organize, advocate, and rally for safer communities. Wear Orange events are organized by the local chapters of Moms Demand Action to memorialize what would have been Hadiya’s 18th birthday, June 2,1992.
· Wear Orange this week-end.
· Light your home with an orange light
· Lift your hearts and voice to stop the violence
https://wearorange.org/https://momsdemandaction.org/
Good Morning Gloucester 