© 2025 KRCU Public Radio
90.9 Cape Girardeau | 88.9-HD Ste. Genevieve | 88.7 Poplar Bluff
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Going Public: 'Wear Orange' Weekend, June 6 to 8, 2025, Raises Awareness for Victims of Gun Violence Locally and Nationally; A Survivor Speaks

Ways To Subscribe
Leslie Washington recently spoke with KRCU Public Radio about National Gun Violence Awareness Day, June 6, 2025, and the upcoming 'Wear Orange Weekend', which is recognized this year from June 6 to 8. Washington talked about the local event in Cape Girardeau, which will give local survivors and families a chance to share their stories and remember those who were lost to gun violence.
KRCU Public Radio
Leslie Washington recently spoke with KRCU Public Radio about National Gun Violence Awareness Day, June 6, 2025, and the upcoming 'Wear Orange Weekend', which is recognized this year from June 6 to 8. Washington talked about the local event in Cape Girardeau, which will give local survivors and families a chance to share their stories and remember those who were lost to gun violence.

In a recent interview, we spoke with Leslie Washington, the local organizer of 'SEMO Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America'.

Locally, in Cape Girardeau County, the 2025 'Wear Orange' event will be held at Peace Park in Cape Girardeau on Friday, June 6, on National Gun Violence Awareness Day, where two survivors will share their stories. Area youth are also expected to give musical tributes, and a proclamation from the Cape Girardeau Mayor will be presented to the public.

The service project for the day will include collecting books for the Women In Action Summer Reading Program.

During the interview, Washington also discusses the impact of gun violence on mental health and the importance of community vigilance and reporting domestic violence, especially when it involves a firearm. She emphasizes the need for respecting boundaries when discussing personal experiences with gun violence.

According to the 'Wear Orange' website, the event honors Hadiya Pendleton, "and the 125 people shot and killed every day in the United States, along with the hundreds more who are wounded and the countless others whose lives have been changed by gun violence". The 'Wear Orange' event is part of the 'Everytown for Gun Safety' non-profit organization, which advocates for gun violence prevention.

This year, 'Wear Orange' weekend is observed nationally from June 6 to 8, and National Gun Violence Awareness Day is June 6, 2025.

John is a proud 2006 Alum of Southeast Missouri State University, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mass Communication – Radio option, with a minor in Management. He has been a life-long listener of KRCU Public Radio, but began his radio career as a student DJ on Rage 103.7 KDMC-LP in 2003.
Latest Episodes