WEAR ORANGE
National Campaign Launch
Wear Orange Origin Story
On January 21, 2013, Hadiya Pendleton marched in President Obama’s second inaugural parade. One week later, Hadiya was shot and killed on a playground in Chicago. Soon after this tragedy, Hadiya’s friends commemorated her life by wearing orange, the color hunters wear in the woods to protect themselves and others.
On June 2nd, 2015 — what would have been Hadiya's 18th birthday — a broad-based coalition asked people nationwide to join Hadiya's friends in honoring her life, plus the lives of the more than 90 Americans shot and killed every day, by wearing orange and sharing it on social media. Wear Orange sought to create a moment in which Americans who believe that more should be done to end gun violence could unite under a hopeful and inclusive banner.
The #WearOrange message resonated powerfully in its first year, reaching more than 200 million people on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. In 2016, #WearOrange increased its reach more than sevenfold to 1.4 billion and the movement continues to be a powerful annual event.
