Everytown Announces Coalition of Cultural Influencers, Nonprofit Partners, Landmarks, Brands and Elected Officials Confirmed to Wear Orange on the Fifth National Gun Violence Awareness Day on June 7
Following the Tragic Shooting in Virginia Beach, Americans Will Gather at Nearly 750 Grassroots Events During Wear Orange Weekend, Uniting Around a Call to Action to End Gun Violence
NEW YORK — The Wear Orange campaign today announced a broad-based coalition of cultural influencers, brands, non-profit partner organizations, elected officials and a series of buildings and landmarks will participate in the fifth National Gun Violence Awareness Day, June 7, and events dedicated to honoring the lives of Americans affected by gun violence. Wear Orange elevates the voice of every American who demands an end to gun violence throughout Wear Orange Weekend, taking place June 8 and 9.
Americans across the country will Wear Orange in honor of the hundreds shot and killed or wounded every day by gun violence. Orange is the color that Hadiya Pendleton’s friends wore in her honor after she was shot and killed in Chicago at the age of 15 — just one week after performing at President Obama’s second inaugural parade in 2013. Orange invites everyone who agrees we can do more to save American lives from gun violence to do one simple thing: #WearOrange.
Spearheaded by gun safety advocates from around the country who are part of the Wear Orange campaign, nearly 750 events will occur across nearly all 50 states and Washington, D.C. during Wear Orange Weekend, taking place June 7-9. Dozens of large events are happening around the country, including in Baltimore, Boston, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Las Vegas, Seattle, San Francisco, South Bend, Tampa and Washington, DC. These events will bring people together to showcase the full diversity of the gun violence prevention movement and the creativity of Wear Orange supporters and will include day of action events focused on crime prevention through environmental design, as well as bridge marches, community picnics, resources fairs, youth talent showcases and more.
Additional Wear Orange campaign details unveiled today include:
- Late-night hosts Samantha Bee and Conan O’Brien will participate in #WearOrange during the week of June 3.
- ATX Television Festival in Austin and Printers Row LitFest in Chicago will go Orange for Wear Orange Weekend. #WearOrange was a featured non-profit partner at New York City’s Governors Ball Music Festival this past weekend, which included a booth at the festival and promotion in partnership with the festival producers, Founders Entertainment and Major Lazer, to encourage fans to #WearOrange.
- #WearOrange is receiving unprecedented support from athletes, including WNBA Player Devereaux Peters and NFL Players Xavier Rhodes, DeAndre Washington and Delanie Walker, along with teams and players in both the WNBA and NBA. The NBA Champion Golden State Warriors are hosting a group of gun violence survivors at Game 4 of the NBA Finals at Oracle Arena on Friday, June 7.
- Corporate brands supporting orange include: Levi Strauss & Co., DICK’S Sporting Goods, Penguin Random House, TOMS, RXR Realty, Good Housekeeping, Vogue, Warner Music Group and The Wing, among others.
- Inspired by survivors of gun violence, designer Clare V. will be selling Ca Suffit shirts (meaning “That’s Enough” in French) Citizens of Humanity and AGOLDE each designed orange shirts as part of their spring/summer collections and will be turning their e-commerce sites orange. Cynthia Rowley and Kenneth Cole are spearheading the fashion community to show us all how to wear and share orange with style.
- More than 250 landmarks, key buildings and retail establishments across the country will begin turning orange, including the Empire State Building in New York City, the Helmsley Building in New York City, Niagara Falls, the Pepsi Center in Denver, Falls Park in Sioux Falls, Boathouse Row in Philadelphia, Coit Tower in San Francisco, Washington National Cathedral, the Superdome in New Orleans, and more. Buildings, stores and landmarks confirmed to date can be found here.
- More than 170 national membership groups, non-profit organizations and faith partners across various issue areas continue to join the coalition of organizations turning orange on June 7, with groups like March For Our Lives, Amnesty International, National Domestic Workers Alliance, The Bishops United Against Gun Violence, American Medical Student Association, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and Media Matters For America taking part in Wear Orange.
- Nearly 200 Mayors from around the country will participate in the Wear Orange campaign. Some of the participants include Mayor Marty Walsh (Boston, MA), Mayor Jill Techel (Napa Valley, CA), Mayor Randall Woodfin (Birmingham, AL), Mayor Rick Scott (Little Rock, AK), Mayor Luke Bronin (Hartford, CT), Mayor Tom McNamara (Rockford, IL), Mayor Al Heggins (Salisbury, NC), Mayor Thomas Roach (White Plains, NY) and Mayor Sylvester Turner (Houston, TX).
- Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Representative Robin Kelly (D-IL-02) have introduced resolutions recognizing June as National Gun Violence Awareness Month to remember the victims and survivors of gun violence and to promote greater awareness of gun violence prevention.
- More than 100 cultural influencers including members of the Everytown Creative Council, Fashion Council, Music Council and Authors Council will #WearOrange. In addition, members of the Everytown Creative Council, including Creative Council founder and chair Julianne Moore, Laura Dern, Keegan-Michael Key, Jason George, and Amy Schumer, participated in a video directed by Creative Council member Bart Freundlich urging people to Wear Orange on June 7.
- Viacom and Univision Communications Inc. will be promoting #WearOrange extensively through their respective platforms. Other media brands supporting orange include People, Parents, Allure, Dame, Essence, Good Housekeeping, and Woman’s Day.
Additionally, Everytown for Gun Safety and the New York chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America will be teaming up with a broad coalition of organizations including Youth Over Guns, Guns Down Life Up, New Yorkers Against Gun Violence, SOS Crown Heights, SOS Bed Stuy, Harlem Mothers Save, G-Macc Inc., American Academy of Pediatrics, Center for Court Innovation, and the Mayor’s Office to Prevent Gun Violence to host the “Walk in Solidarity with Survivors of Gun Violence” on Saturday, June 8th.
For more details about events happening Wear Orange weekend, please contact [email protected].
Full details on Wear Orange 2019 are available here.