Julianne Moore, Russell Simmons, Patti Smith, Aasif Mandvi, Sarah Silverman, Michael Stipe, Alyssa Milano, Padma Lakshmi, Perez Hilton, Tunde Adebimpe of TV on the Radio, Mike Bloomberg, Governor Cuomo and More Than 60 Mayors Nationwide to "Wear Orange" on National Gun Violence Awareness Day June 2

Julianne Moore, Russell Simmons, Patti Smith, Aasif Mandvi, Sarah Silverman, Michael Stipe, Alyssa Milano, Padma Lakshmi, Perez Hilton, Tunde Adebimpe of TV on the Radio, Mike Bloomberg, Governor Cuomo and More Than 60 Mayors Nationwide to "Wear Orange" on National Gun Violence Awareness Day June 2

MTV, Motown Records, HBO, Vans Warped Tour, Essence Magazine and Many More Join In National Gun Violence Awareness Day Effort

Video Released Today Tells Story of Chicago Teens Who Started a New National Movement to End Gun Violence

NEW YORK, May 28, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today, more than 25 cultural influencers and 60 U.S. Mayors joined the coalition of best-in-class organizations and activists pledging to "Wear Orange" - a color that symbolizes the value of human life - on June 2(nd), the first-annual National Gun Violence Awareness Day. Wear Orange is a new campaign that amplifies existing efforts to reduce gun violence in America and helps honor the 88 Americans whose lives are cut short by gun violence every day. In the past two weeks, more than 140 groups and luminaries have joined the campaign, including MTV, Motown Records, HBO, Vans Warped Tour, Essence Magazine, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Brady Campaign, and Million Mom March.

http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnvar/20150514/216081LOGO

Participating cultural influencers include Julianne Moore, Russell Simmons, Sarah Silverman, Michael Stipe, Patti Smith, Aasif Mandvi, Alyssa Milano, Padma Lakshmi, John Hodgman, Amanda Peet, Perez Hilton, Melissa Joan Hart, Tiffani Thiessen, Tunde Adebimpe of TV On The Radio, Rise Against, Mario Batali, Anti-Flag, Nigel Barker, Grace Weber, Jon Foreman, Judith Hill, Amber Coffman of Dirty Projectors, Tyler Glenn of Neon Trees and Thomas Roberts of MSNBC. Efforts of note on June 2nd include:


-- MTV - The network will change its on-air logo -- as well as several of
its social media avatars -- to orange in recognition of National Gun
Violence Awareness Day.
-- Motown Records - The most widely recognized record label in history,
Motown will turn its iconic logo orange on its social media platforms
(@Motown on Twitter, @MotownRecords on Instagram) with staff and artists
#WearingOrange.
-- HBO - The network will debut the trailer for its hard-hitting new
documentary, Requiem for the Dead: American Spring 2014, from Emmy-Award
winning filmmakers Shari Cookson and Nick Doob, which premieres on HBO
June 22(nd) at 9:00pm EST/PST. Told entirely through social media
postings, news accounts and other found media, the new documentary
offers an unvarnished portrait of the human toll from gun violence in
America -- giving viewers a window into the lives of dozens who died
from gunfire last spring through the present-tense moments leading up to
the shootings and the reverberations that followed.
-- Essence Magazine - Essence staff will be #WearingOrange, sharing their
orange selfies on Instagram and Twitter and encouraging their readers to
join in the Wear Orange campaign.
"We're often presented with a false choice in the guns debate: that you have to 'pick a side'," said Michael Stipe. "But every American opposes gun violence and all of us can do more to help save lives. I'll wear my orange with pride on June 2nd and hope people nationwide will join me in showing their true colors."

"Motown Records has a legacy of being the voice of a generation through our artists and fostering an environment of creativity and innovation. In these times, more than ever, it is crucial for all of our voices to collectively come together on June 2(nd) for the first-ever National Gun Violence Awareness Day to raise awareness and promote anti-violence so that the voices of today, and tomorrow, have a chance to be heard," said Ethiopia Habtemariam, President, Motown Records. "We encourage fans and artists alike to join us on June 2(nd) by #WearingOrange and honoring the life of Hadiya Pendleton, and all those lives senselessly lost to gun violence."

Elected officials committed to protecting their constituents from gun violence will also be wearing orange on June 2nd. Members of Congress from coast to coast, New York State Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, former New York City Mayor and co-founder of Mayors Against Illegal Guns Michael R. Bloomberg, as well as mayors in more than 60 cities from 20 states representing more than 10 million Americans around the country have joined the campaign. Mayors who will be wearing orange on June 2nd, many of whom plan to issue proclamations declaring June 2nd Gun Violence Awareness Day in their cities, include Mayors Emanuel (Chicago), Nutter (Philadelphia), Lee (San Francisco), Walsh (Boston), Hales (Portland, OR), Wharton Jr. (Memphis), Slay (St. Louis), Schneider (Santa Barbara), Murray (Seattle), Peduto (Pittsburgh), and Coleman (Columbus, OH). The full list of elected officials participating in Wear Orange is available below.

Newly added supporters of the Wear Orange coalition include the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Brady Campaign, the Caliber Foundation, CT Coalition Against Gun Violence, Greenwich Council Against Gun Violence, Media Matters, Million Mom March, MomsRising, National Council of Jewish Women, New Mexicans for Gun Safety, North Carolina Coalition Against Gun Violence, Ohio Coalition Against Gun Violence, and Parents Against Gun Violence. The full list of announced partners is available below.

Wear Orange and National Gun Violence Awareness Day was inspired by a group of Chicago teens who asked their classmates to commemorate the life of their slain friend, Hadiya Pendleton, by wearing the color orange. Hadiya was claimed by gun violence just days after marching in President Obama's second inaugural parade. Her friends chose the color because hunters wear orange to announce themselves to other hunters when out in the woods. Orange acknowledges that America has a proud heritage of responsible gun ownership, while also reflecting the value of human life. This June 2nd would have been Hadiya's 18th birthday; First Lady Michelle Obama will deliver the commencement address at what would have been Hadiya's graduation ceremony on June 9th.

Additionally, today the Wear Orange campaign released a new video telling the story of Hadiya's tragic death, how her friends and family refused to let her die in vain, and how what they started on the south side of Chicago is becoming a national movement. You can view the video at http://wearorange.org/#play.

Anyone can join the Wear Orange campaign by visiting wearorange.org and using the website's pledge tool to change their social media profile picture or share why they'll be #WearingOrange on June 2, the first-ever National Gun Violence Awareness Day.



Partner
Organizations Members of Congress Mayors
------------- ------------------- ------

American
Academy
of
Pediatrics Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) Adolpho Gámez - Tolleson, AZ

Americans
For
Responsible
Solutions Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) Steve Tate - Morgan Hill, CA

Amnesty Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-
International CT)
USA Edwin Lee - San Francisco, CA

The Helene Schneider -Santa Barbara,
Brady CA
Campaign Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT)

The
Caliber
Foundation Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) Cheryl Heitmann - Ventura, CA

Campaign
to
Keep
Guns
Off
Campus Rep. Bob Dold (R-IL) Marjorie Sloan - Golden, CO

CeaseFirePA Rep. Mike Thompson (D-CA) Clint Folsom - Superior, CO

Center
for
American
Progress
(CAP) Rep. Elizabeth Esty (D-CT) Stuart Fraser - Telluride, CO

Coalition
to
Stop
Gun
Violence Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT) Samuel J. Ferreri - Greenacres, FL

CT Philip K. Stoddard -South Miami,
Against FL
Gun
Violence

CREDO Rick Kriseman - St. Petersburg, FL

Everytown
for
Gun
Safety Rahm Emanuel - Chicago, IL

Generation
Progress Elizabeth Tisdahl - Evanston, IL

Greenwich
Council
Against
Gun
Violence Nancy Rotering - Highland Park, IL

Hadiya's
Promise Karen Freeman-Wilson - Gary, IN

Illinois
Council
Against
Handgun
Violence Martin J. Walsh - Boston, MA

International
Action
Network
Against
Small
Arms
(IANSA) Bill Carpenter - Brockton, MA

The
JED
Foundation Nathan Triplett - East Lansing, MI

Know
Your
IX Dayne Walling - Flint, MI

Media
Matters
for
America Bobby J. Hopewell - Kalamazoo, MI

Million Marvin D. Johnson -Independence,
Mom MN
March

Moms
Demand
Action
for
Gun
Sense
in
America Francis G. Slay - St. Louis, MO

MomsRising Lydia E. Lavelle - Carrboro, NC

MoveOn.org
Civic
Action Mark Kleinschmidt - Chapel Hill, NC

National
Coalition
Against
Domestic
Violence William V. "Bill" Bell - Durham, NC

National
Council
of
Jewish
Women Barbara Simmons - Enfield, NC

National
Network
to
End
Domestic
Violence Jim Maley - Collingswood, NJ

Newtown Lester E. Taylor III -East Orange,
Action NJ
Alliance

New
Mexicans
for
Gun
Safety Domenick Stampone - Haledon, NJ

New Gayle Brill Mittler -Highland
Yorkers Park, NJ
Against
Gun
Violence

North
Carolina
Coalition
Against
Gun
Violence Paul Anzano - Hopewell, NJ

Ohio
Coalition
Against
Gun
Violence Paul J. Kennedy - Ocean Gate, NJ

Parents
Against
Gun
Violence Marc Pasquini - Oxford Twp, NJ

Project
Orange
Tree Jose "Joey" Torres - Paterson, NJ

Purpose
Over
Pain Liz Lempert - Princeton, NJ

Rhode
Island
Coalition
Against
Gun
Violence
(RICAGV) Gloria J. Chavez - Tijeras, NM

Sandy
Hook
Promise Jen Laird White - Nyack, NY

States
United
to
Prevent
Gun
Violence Peter Scherer - Pleasantville, NY

Stop
Handgun
Violence Dan Dwyer - Rensselaer, NY

Suicide
Awareness
Voices
of
Education Thomas Roach - White Plains, NY

Team
26 -
Sandy
Hook
Ride
on
Washington Michael B. Coleman - Columbus, OH

The
Reform
Jewish
Youth
Movement
(NFTY) Gary Middlemus - Frazeysburg, OH

The
Religious
Action
Center
of
Reform
Judaism
(RAC) Kathy Mulcahy - Orange Village, OH

WAVE
Educational
Fund Daroll Nicholson - Donald, OR

Women
Against
Gun
Violence
(WAGV) Charlie Hales - Portland, OR

Robert J. Donchez - Bethlehem, PA

Verncel L. Creveling -Briar Creek,
PA

Timothy A. Scott - Carlisle, PA

Donald Baumgarten -Castle Shannon,
PA

Terry S. Bennett - McDonald, PA

Thomas Reenock - Northampton, PA

Geoffrey L. Henry - Oxford, PA

William Peduto - Pittsburgh, PA

Michael A. Nutter -Philadelphia,
PA

Michael Fritz - St. Lawrence, PA

Gerald W. Gross - West Easton, PA

Tom Leighton - Wilkes-Barre, PA

Edwin García-Feliciano - Camuy, PR

A C Wharton Jr. - Memphis, TN

Lucy Krakowiak - Burien, WA

Jennifer Gregerson - Mukilteo, WA

Mia Gregerson - SeaTac, WA

Edward B. Murray - Seattle, WA
--- ------------------------------
CONTACT:
Kayla Keller, kayla@fitzgibbonmedia.com, 281.682.6212

Lizzie Ulmer, press@everytown.org, 269.271.2331

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150514/216081LOGO



SOURCE Wear Orange

Photo:http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150514/216081LOGO
http://photoarchive.ap.org/
Wear Orange


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