On this episode of 'Going Public', we speak with Leslie Washington a local chapter representative of 'Moms Demand Action', who talks about the upcoming 'Wear Orange Weekend'— from June 7 to 9, 2024.
The local group and supporters will gather at Peace Park on Broadway in downtown Cape Girardeau on Fri. June 7 from 11 am to 1 pm, to 'organize, advocate, and rally for safer communities' and to honor survivors of gun violence.
According to the Wear Orange website, the annual event began to commemorate the life of Hadiya Pendleton, who marched in President Obama’s second inaugural parade on January 21, 2013, and died one week later after she was shot 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. Wear Orange is now observed every June. Thousands of people wear the color orange to honor Hadiya and the more than 43,000 Americans are killed with guns and approximately 76,000 more are shot and wounded every year.From wearorange.org
At the time of this story on June 4, 2024, according to gunviolencearchive.org, there have been over seven thousand homicides, murders, and unintentional or defensive gun use-related deaths in the U.S. since the beginning of this year. More details can be found on the website.
