Chicagoans Will Sport Orange Saturday To Remember Gun Victims

CHICAGO (CBS)--Gun violence will be spotlighted across the U.S. Saturday when thousands of Americans wear orange in memory of Hadiya Pendleton, one of Chicago's most high-profile killings.

The 15-year-old's friends and family wore orange after she was shot and killed in 2013 just a week after she had proudly performed with her high school band for a presidential parade for Barack Obama's second inauguration.

Her death became symbolic of Chicago's gun problem. Michelle Obama attended her funeral.

The Fourth Annual Wear Orange Initiative will be marked by a "peace party" and a public gathering starting at 10 a.m. June 1 at Hadiya Pendleton Park, 4345 S. Calumet Ave.

Hadiya's parents spoke to CBS 2 about the symbolism of the color orange.

"Hadiya's friends used orange to symbolize the hunter--'don't shoot me,'" Cleopatra said. "They wanted to do something to commemorate her death and inspire others not to shoot."

The orange movement's roots may be in Chicago, but orange fever will spread all over the country Saturday, which is National Gun Violence Awareness Day.

New York gun violence prevention advocate Erica Ford spearheaded orange as the color of peace through her work with her organization, Life Camp, Inc., according to wearorange.org.

"Whether it's worn by students in Montana, activists in New York, or Hadiya's loved ones in Chicago, the color orange honors the lives cut short and the hundreds more wounded by gun violence everyday, the website says.

In Chicago, the public party will feature a slate of speakers and a balloon release to symbolize hope and freedom from violence.

Micheal Ward and Kenneth Williams are awaiting trial for Pendleton's murder.