John, we're less than a month away from the start of Wear Orange Weekend. On June 4th, we'll kick things off by commemorating National Gun Violence Awareness Day to honor the lives of people in the United States affected by gun violence and demand an end to this crisis. Learn more about what we're doing this year to Wear Orange, including events happening across the country.

After Hadiya Pendleton was shot and killed in 2013 at the age of 15, her friends and family organized in Chicago to honor her life by wearing the color orange. Wear Orange originated on June 2, 2015—what would have been Hadiya's 18th birthday—and is now observed nationally on the first Friday in June and the following weekend each year in order to raise awareness for gun violence prevention.

This year, that means calling special attention to how the gun violence crisis has worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, the number of people killed by gun violence exceeded 40,000—the highest rate of gun deaths in two decades.¹

So, on June 4th, we'll #WearOrange and come together with communities across the country as we work to end gun violence. Save the date and learn more about how you can be a part of Wear Orange Weekend.

Thank you for being a part of this movement. We hope you'll join us this year to make #WearOrange as impactful as possible.

Wear Orange 2021

P.S. You'll find Wear Orange events on our website, with more added every day, including a national Students Demand Action virtual event. We'll be in touch soon with more details.

1. Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund. “Gun Violence and COVID-19 in 2020”. 7 May 2021.