John, today is National Gun Violence Awareness Day and the start of Wear Orange Weekend. It's time to wear orange!
Across the country, people will wear orange today and throughout the weekend to honor the lives of those taken and those forever changed by gun violence. It's a bright and powerful color that lets everyone know that we demand to be seen, and that we demand to see change.
John, #WearOrange today and share your photo on social media with the #WearOrange hashtag.
As a member of this movement, I'll be wearing orange with other advocates this weekend to discuss what we can do to end gun violence and support survivors. Because for me, the issue of gun safety is personal. I am queer, I am brown, and I am a father. People who love like me and look like me have been the targets of gun violence in our country, including at Pulse and El Paso. Each year, 3,800 Latinxs die from gun violence in the U.S., and Latinxs are twice as likely to be killed in a gun homicide as white people.1 This weekend, I #WearOrange for them, and to be a part of a movement making sure that everyone in America can pursue happiness, free from the threat of gun violence.
John, #WearOrange today and join in virtual events throughout Wear Orange Weekend.
Thank you for being a part of this movement, and thank you for wearing orange today.
Rudy Espinoza
Ponte Orange
P.S. Help us to support our community partner organizations working to prevent gun violence and tackle systemic injustice. Everytown will match all donations made for these organizations before the fundraising campaign closes at 12 a.m. ET on June 21 up to a total match of $150,000.
1. "The Impact of Gun Violence on Latino Communities". Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund.
