Fourth National Gun Violence Awareness Day Paints America Orange

Wear Orange 2018 Participants Included Julianne Moore, Angela Bassett, Halsey, Don Cheadle, the Empire State Building and More Than 1,000 Partners, Influencers, Landmarks, Elected Officials and More Than 300,000 Social Media Posts

#WearOrange Trended Nationally; Movement Began With Teens in Chicago Who Refused to Stay Silent in the Face of Gun Violence

NEW YORK — During National Gun Violence Awareness Day and Wear Orange Weekend, June 1- 3, more than 1,000 influencers, corporate brands, elected officials, partner organizations and a series of iconic landmarks joined the Wear Orange campaign to honor all survivors of gun violence, remember those killed and declare that we must do more to reduce gun violence. Wear Orange began with the friends of Hadiya Pendleton, a 15-year-old Chicago high school student killed by gunfire. After her death, her classmates decided to honor her life by wearing orange – the color hunters wear in the woods to protect themselves and others.

The Wear Orange campaign and National Gun Violence Awareness Day grew even larger in its fourth year. Notable updates from Wear Orange 2018 include:

• More than 450 events took place across the country, with at least one event in every state. The events ranged from the Party for Peace in Chicago, which this year featured support from Pitchfork Music Festival, to thousands of Americans marching across the Brooklyn Bridge in New York for a march and rally hosted by Youth Over Guns. In addition to these events, there were hundreds of others, including cookouts, scavenger hunts and community picnics.
• There were more than 300,000 social media posts throughout Wear Orange Weekend, helping #WearOrange trend nationally.
• Across the country, more than 200 buildings and landmarks lit orange as a result of strong grassroots outreach. The Empire State Building lit orange with the help of Everytown Creative Council member Andy Cohen. Also lighting up Orange: the Superdome in New Orleans, the Aloha Tower in Hawaii, Falls Park in Sioux Falls, Highland Park City Hall in Chicago and Las Vegas City Hall. A full list of buildings and landmarks can be found here.
• More than 150 cultural influencers and leaders participated in #WearOrange this weekend, including Julianne Moore, Angela Bassett, Amy Brenneman, Don Cheadle, Laura Dern, Jason George, Mark Hamill, Anne Hathaway, Ta’Rhonda Jones, Cyndi Lauper, Alyssa Milano, Ben Platt, Anna Deavere Smith and Renee Fleming and the cast of Carousel on Broadway. Members of the newly announced Everytown Music Council also lent their support to the movement including Samantha Ronson, The National, Cyndi Lauper and Justin Tranter.
• Artists like Halsey, Aminé, Middle Kids, The Struts and Third Eye Blind wore orange onstage at the Governors Ball in New York, which supported #WearOrange through its social media platforms and on site with both audience and artist-facing activations. Halsey asked her fans on social to Wear Orange to her show, and many did.
• Prominent current and former elected leaders joined the #WearOrange campaign, including President Barack Obama, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo and Oregon Governor Kate Brown.
• More than 100 members of Congress participated in the #WearOrange campaign online, including Senator Pat Toomey and Senator Catherine Cortez Masto. Additionally, more than 300 state legislators from 41 states lent their support to the campaign, including Arizona state Representative Daniel Hernandez, who survived the Tucson shooting in 2011.
• Univision Communications Inc. and Viacom promoted #WearOrange extensively through their respective platforms. Univision shared survivor testimonials on its social media platforms and lent news coverage to events with network talent wearing orange. MTV, VH1 and other Viacom channels turned their on-air logos orange to honor the campaign. Viacom also donated billboard space to the campaign in Times Square. More than 100 corporate brands supported orange include People, Ebony, Good Housekeeping, Woman’s Day, Redbook, them., OkCupid, ATTN: and The Standard.
• The Teen Vogue Summit brought together young activists in the gun violence prevention movement, including Project Orange Tree founder and co-creator of Wear Orange Nza-Ari Khepra, for a series of discussions around gun violence and ways others can get involved.
• Fashion institutions like Barneys New York, IMG Models and Gucci joined fashion influencers such as Clare Vivier, Cynthia Rowley, Zac Posen, Christian Siriano and other members of the Everytown Fashion Council in embracing Wear Orange through their respective platforms.
• More than 15 brands teamed up with Everytown for an online marketplace featuring orange fashion, home, beauty and lifestyle items to support the gun violence prevention movement, with many of the products custom made for Wear Orange. Brands featured in the marketplace include Areaware, Quiet Home, Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams and Sassy Lips.
• More than 160 national non-profit partners and more than 400 community partners took part in Wear Orange on June 1, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Human Rights Campaign, Planned Parenthood and Organizing for Action. A full list of partners can be found here.
• And more than 240 mayors participated in the Wear Orange campaign, issuing more than 200 mayoral proclamations recognizing National Gun Violence Awareness Day. Some of the participants include Mayor Sly James (Kansas City, Mo.), Mayor David Berger (Lima, Ohio) and Mayor Robert Conley (Madison, N.J.).

Full details on Wear Orange 2018 are available here.