Politics

Here's Why You're Seeing People Wearing Orange All Over Social Media Today

June 2nd 2017

You may have noticed a lot of orange on your social media timelines on Friday, and there's a good reason for that.

People and organizations are using the color orange for National Gun Violence Awareness Day to voice their support for ending the gun violence epidemic in the United States. 

Actor Julianne Moore tweeted the names of Americans who died from gun violence. 

The "Wear Orange" movement started in 2015 after the 2013 death of high school honor roll student Hadiya Pendleton, who was shot and killed in Chicago just a week after performing at President Barack Obama's second inauguration.

"After we lost Hadiya, there were a lot of emotions going on," said Nza-Ari Khepra, who served as a founding member and president of Project Orange Tree, which worked in collaboration the Everytown for Gun Safety to create National Gun Violence awareness day. "The conversation motivated students and community members to get involved."

Pendleton would have been 20 years old today, if she hadn't been accidentally killed in crossfire.

The Gun Violence Archive says that 6,315 people have died from gun violence so far in 2017, and a total of 15,056 people died last year. 

ATTN: spoke with Jamira Burley, an activist, White House Champion of Change under President Barack Obama, and member of the Everytown Survivor Network, about #WearOrange and her brother’s death.

Updated 6/2/2017 at 2:50 p.m. PT: This piece has been updated to show that Pendleton would have been 20 years old today today not 18.

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