June is National Gun Violence Month. This year the 2nd of June is National Gun Violence Day and the beginning of Wear Orange Weekend which ends on the 4th. The neighborhood of South Austin was filled with color as people participated in the Wear Orange Peace March on Friday. Elected officials and neighbors rallied together in honor of National Gun Violence Awareness Day.
The Beginning of the Movement
The movement began on June 2, 2015, on what would have been Hadiya Pendleton’s 18th birthday. She was only 15 when gang members killed her in a park in Kenwood. One week prior, she had marched in former President Obama’s second inaugural parade.
Soon after she was murdered by gang members, “Hadiya’s childhood friends decided to commemorate her life by wearing orange, the color hunters wear in the woods to protect themselves and others,” explains the Wear Orange website.
For years orange has been the defining color of the movement to stop gun violence.
Ways to Participate in Raising Awareness
In the U.S., more than 300 individuals are directly impacted by gun violence every day. Bringing awareness of the pain that comes with gun violence allows victims, their loved ones, and advocates to demand life-saving change.
Organize peaceful rallies to help bring awareness about gun violence. People can also urge the local legislators and the U.S. Senate to take action and do more for gun violence prevention. Sending signed petitions and/or writing letters to Senators is one way to urge them. The more people that speak up the louder the message is heard.
Ask friends and family if they have unlocked guns in their households. It may just be a simple question but it could very well save a life. Especially with summer break just around the corner. Helping to raise awareness could possibly save lives and put a stop to gun violence.
By Sheena Robertson
Sources:
Brady United: National Gun Violence Awareness Month Wear Orange
Wear Orange: About Wear Orange
CBS 2 News: Chicago’s ‘Wear Orange Peace March’ honors National Gun Violence Awareness Day
Top and Featured Image Courtesy of Governor Tom Wolf‘s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
Inset Image Courtesy of Fibonacci Blue‘s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
