Dear John,

Today, we come together to recognize National Gun Violence Awareness Day -- also known as #WearOrange Day.

Today, I #WearOrange. I wear orange for Hadiya Pendleton. Blair Holt. Nikolette Rivera. Christopher Harris. Tamir Rice. These are the names of children who have been killed by gun violence before they had an opportunity to experience all of that life had to offer. They are the reason why I wear orange.

As we participate in Gun Violence Awareness Month, my heart aches for their families and the countless families who live with the pain of a child killed by gun violence. So often it feels as though the victims of gun violence are starting to become younger and younger.
When addressing gun violence, I am always taken aback by the ages of the victims. Data shows us that Black youth -- both females and males -- are disproportionately impacted by gun violence.
As we #WearOrange this month, I ask that we continue to speak these children's names, that we carry their legacies with us every day in our advocacy, and that we lift up their communities. Those closest to the pain must be closest to the power.

Each day, communities around the country are ravaged and devastated by preventable gun violence due to the long standing institutions of racism that perpetuate violence, which include income inequality, poverty, underfunded public schools, and inadequate public services.

These structural inequities that are experienced by communities are rooted in racism that is interwoven into our every aspect of society. It is no coincidence that the communities that are disproportionately impacted by gun violence face barriers that prevent access to equal opportunities -- it is by design.

Our society has so many racist policies that target communities and create segregated and underinvested neighborhoods and perpetuate these cycles of violence.

The deaths of Ahmaud Arberry, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd, the response of communities of color and their allies, and the vitriol from white supremacists reinforce how much work we have left to undo these racist structures that perpetuate structural and physical violence -- including gun violence.

Today, my message is simple: young people deserve better, and their communities deserve better. We must begin addressing structural and gun violence with the sense of urgency it deserves by tackling structural inequities, reducing access to firearms, and funding violence intervention and prevention programs.

In honor of Hadiya, Blair, Nikolette, Christopher, Tamir and the countless other young people who have lost their lives, I hope you will join CSGV in our fight to reduce gun violence in all its forms.


Thank you,

Lauren Footman
Director of Equity and Outreach
Coalition to Stop Gun Violence











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