Friday, June 1 was National Gun Violence Awareness Day, but also the start of a three-day anti-gun violence campaign. Throughout “Wear Orange Weekend,” thousands of Americans don the color to both honor those who’ve lost their lives to gun violence and to show their support for reform.
The nationwide campaign dates back to 2013, when 15-year-old Hadiya Pendleton performed at President Obama’s second inaugural parade, only to be shot and killed in Chicago just one week later. While orange has a variety of significant meanings, according to the official website for National Gun Violence Awareness Day, it was Pendleton’s friends who first chose to wear the color. Why? It’s “what hunters wear in the woods to protect themselves from harm.”
Since then, the movement has been spearheaded by nonprofit organization Everytown for Gun Safety, which “researches a range of vital issues surrounding gun violence, develops data-driven solutions, and works with lawmakers and people” to pass common-sense laws and policies that have the potential to save lives,” according to their official website.
Everytown organizes rallies, marches, and more events throughout Wear Orange Weekend, all with the aim of getting closer to realizing “a future free of gun violence.” The organization used Twitter to cite numerous statistics on Friday, including that 96 Americans are killed every day by gun violence.
Some things shouldn’t be all American. Today we #WearOrange to demand a world free from gun violence. pic.twitter.com/m5BuJZ4Iff
— Everytown (@Everytown) June 1, 2018
We #WearOrange because #BlackLivesMatter. pic.twitter.com/ilkxFD24Qe
— Everytown (@Everytown) June 1, 2018
Everytown also used the social media platform to share personal stories of those affected by gun violence.
This June 1, join @fred_guttenberg and #WearOrange to honor Jaime and all victims and survivors of gun violence. Learn more about Fred’s work at https://t.co/vA5GU2qNe5. pic.twitter.com/mnjMzpYxm1
— Everytown (@Everytown) June 1, 2018
I #WearOrange for my beautiful son Alex Teves & all victims of GV. Alex was shot & killed in a Aurora movie theater while shielding his girlfriend from harm. 12 killed & 70 wounded that day by a mentally unstable individual who should have never been able to purchase firearms. pic.twitter.com/8a9fhFXgRH
— Caren Teves (@carenteves) June 1, 2018
Young people like Julia are turning their pain into action, and on June 1 they’ll #WearOrange to demand an end to gun violence in America. pic.twitter.com/Ut3ZRKXYv7
— Everytown (@Everytown) May 30, 2018
A slew of celebrities and politicians participated in Friday’s “wear orange” initiative, including Hillary Clinton, Kevin Bacon, Katie Couric, and more.
Too many American children will never have the opportunity to realize their dreams because their lives were cut short by a bullet. Our kids deserve to live free from the threat of gun violence. #WearOrange @Everytown @MomsDemand pic.twitter.com/SjacOKPgVv
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) June 1, 2018
It’s #NationalGunViolenceAwarenessDay & I #WearOrange because 96 people are shot and killed in an average day in America & for every 1 person killed with guns, 2 more are injured. As 9-year-old Yolanda Renee King said @ #marchforourlives, “I have a dream that enough is enough.” pic.twitter.com/6tsTIDptGW
— Katie Couric (@katiecouric) June 1, 2018
Today I #wearorange because I’m not an irrational, fake-patriotic lunatic who values owning assault weapons over the health, sanity and safety of innocent children and adults getting massacred on a weekly basis in ways that occur in no other country on the planet. pic.twitter.com/p0gqedePeG
— billy eichner (@billyeichner) June 1, 2018
My parents joined me to light the @empirestatebldg orange as part of National Gun Violence Awareness Day. #WearOrange is dedicated to honoring the lives of Americans affected by gun violence and elevating the voices of every American who demands an end to gun violence. pic.twitter.com/aqE5XgSSEB
— Andy Cohen (@Andy) June 1, 2018
Today, I #WearOrange to give a voice to the 96 Americans who die and the hundreds more who are injured by gun violence every single day. Why do you #WearOrange?
Text ORANGE to 644-33 to find a #WearOrange Weekend event near you. @Everytown pic.twitter.com/YPDhZ7U0YM
— Julia Louis-Dreyfus (@OfficialJLD) June 1, 2018
Enough is enough is enough. Today I #WearOrange because the US has a gun violence epidemic and thanks to the NRA our government is ignoring gun violence solutions. pic.twitter.com/EVYDd4FhlD
— Ben Platt (@BenSPLATT) June 1, 2018
In America, a woman is fatally shot by a current or former romantic partner every 16 hours. This unconscionable intolerable inexcusable fact should shock and shake us all. Enough is enough. #GunViolenceAwarenessDay #WearOrange ?
— Mariska Hargitay (@Mariska) June 2, 2018
Today is National Gun Violence Awareness Day. I #wearorange because I want to see the country unite around sensible gun legislation. Our kids deserve it. @everytown @momsdemand ? pic.twitter.com/vNvavLRNFh
— Sheryl Crow (@SherylCrow) June 2, 2018
This is Xavier Monroe. He was shot & killed while hanging out at a bar with his friends. Black men like Xavier are 13 times more likely than white men to be shot and killed with guns. I #WearOrange for Black men in America who have to live with the threat of gun violence. #NoRA pic.twitter.com/JKzmiZ0pTN
— Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) June 1, 2018
Let’s all #WearOrange for #NationalGunViolenceAwarenessDay honoring the 96 Americans killed every day w/ a gun & the 100’s more injured-Thanks to @tomtomorrow for turning my #UglyBlueSweater a beautiful ORANGE! Check out others at https://t.co/2bY176vNAP pic.twitter.com/gzXtqMe5AV
— Mark Hamill (@HamillHimself) June 1, 2018
I #WearOrange because I beleive that every American has the responsibility to change our culture and work to end gun violence. I wear orange to honor the lives that have been senselessly lost and to call attention to government inaction. Join me Text ORANGE to 644-33 @Everytown pic.twitter.com/6S1HCkB4R9
— Julianne Moore (@_juliannemoore) June 1, 2018
The spire of One World Trade Center is lit orange tonight in honor of #GunViolenceAwarenessMonth. This weekend we #WearOrange and demand change from leaders in Washington before more lives are lost. Enough is enough. pic.twitter.com/D3OPfU4VRA
— Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) June 2, 2018
Why do I #WearOrange? pic.twitter.com/gKnYMuveJ4
— Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) June 1, 2018
I #WearOrange today while praying our country will pass common sense gun safety legislation. Our children deserve it. pic.twitter.com/52VZJlEBjD
— Laura Dern (@LauraDern) June 2, 2018
Today we #WearOrange for National Gun Violence Awareness Day. Congress MUST show the political courage to stand up to the @NRA & pass gun reform laws that help keep our kids safe in our classrooms & on our streets. Enough is enough. pic.twitter.com/HRGPf2bqOh
— Elizabeth Warren (@elizabethforma) June 1, 2018
Today, I #WearOrange to give a voice to the 96 Americans who die and the hundreds more who are injured by gun violence every single day. pic.twitter.com/UIJWLqISas
— Adam Scott (@mradamscott) June 1, 2018
Tomorrow I’m wearing orange because I am a mom and want safety for the kids in our country. Let’s give a voice to those who are impacted by gun violence every day. #wearorange @everytown @momsdemand pic.twitter.com/rQlDeE3vz4
— Elizabeth Banks (@ElizabethBanks) June 1, 2018
Today I #WearOrange to honor the victims of gun violence. We need common sense gun laws NOW! Text ORANGE to 644-33 and join the fight! @Everytown pic.twitter.com/bXqV9KLckq
— Ike Barinholtz (@ikebarinholtz) June 1, 2018
Today, I #WearOrange to give a voice to the 96 Americans who die, and the hundreds more who are injured, by gun violence every single day.
Text ORANGE to 644-33 to find a #WearOrange Weekend event near you. @Everytown pic.twitter.com/NyQTbIqClI— Mayim Bialik (@missmayim) June 1, 2018
Today, I #WearOrange to give a voice to the 96 Americans who die and the hundreds more who are injured by gun violence every day. Why do you #WearOrange?
Text ORANGE to 644-33 to find a #WearOrange Weekend event near you. @Everytown ? pic.twitter.com/4rvHWWFp6p
— Zac Posen (@Zac_Posen) June 1, 2018
Today, I #WearOrange to give a voice to the 96 Americans who die and the hundreds more who are injured by gun violence every single day. Why do you #WearOrange? pic.twitter.com/O7khmzWenX
— Don Cheadle (@DonCheadle) June 1, 2018
Wearing orange in support of @Everytown and their mission to honor the lives of Americans affected by gun violence and elevating the voices of every American who demand an end to gun violence. #wearorange pic.twitter.com/UjpCLe1en9
— Nate Berkus (@NateBerkus) June 1, 2018
Learn more about how to get involved with Wear Orange Weekend or Everytown here.