We #WearOrange to Keep Our Youth Safe

At the age of 15, a young girl from Chicago named Hadiya Pendleton had the honor of performing on behalf of her high school at the second presidential inauguration of Barack Obama. She was a talented majorette dancer and a sophomore at King College Prep. Just over a week later, while she waited in the park with friends after taking her final exams, she was shot and killed. Hadiya’s death came to serve as a microcosm of the widespread and devastating effects of gun violence on youth across the country. It garnered the attention of the former President and First Lady Barack and Michelle Obama, as well as Team ROC, the philanthropic organization of rapper Jay-Z, and the actions of her loved ones have left a continuing legacy in the form of Wear Orange. Orange was the color Pendleton’s loved ones wore to commemorate her life and has since become the color of the gun violence prevention movement. Organizations, groups, and individuals throughout the movement celebrate Wear Orange Weekend during the first weekend in June to honor Hadiya’s birthday on June 2nd.

Although communities and activists across the country have built momentum to prevent youth gun violence, children are still dying by firearms at an exorbitant rate. According to CDC data analyzed by the Educational Fund to Stop Gun Violence, firearms were the leading cause of death for children, teens, and young adults ages…