Nebraska groups encourage wearing orange for Gun Violence Awareness Weekend

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — An anti-gun violence group hosted a virtual event on Friday to speak about why they are wearing orange.

Leaders of Moms Demand Action say for them, wearing orange is more than just standing in solidarity with those affected. It means standing up for what is right.

Jayden Speed with Students Demand Action says he wears orange for his mother. She is a gun violence survivor who turned her trauma into activism.

“A lot of the times, domestic violence is overlooked in the gun violence issue,” he said. “People focus a lot on mass shootings.”

SEE ALSO: Weapon offenses recently rose in Lincoln amid calls for action against gun violence

Gun Violence Awareness Weekend is every year on the first weekend in June.

It started in 2013 in Chicago after 15-year-old Hadiya Pendleton was shot and killed. Her friends wore orange in her honor.

Hadiya’s friends and family continue the tradition to raise awareness nationwide.

There are more than 2,300 Wear Orange events around the country. Last year, Moms Demand Action says 97,000 supporters participated.

On Friday night, the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge in Omaha will glow with orange lights in solidarity.