Events planned for Wear Orange Weekend campaign against gun violence in Chicago and beyond
CHICAGO (CBS) -- An orange flag few above the Wrigley Field marquee on Friday as part of Wear Orange Weekend – a campaign against gun violence.
The Wear Orange movement was created in honor of 15-year-old Hadiya Pendleton, who was shot and killed on a Chicago playground.
Hadiya and some classmates had gone to Vivian Gordon Harsh Park on the 4500 block of South Oakenwald Avenue on Jan. 29, 2013, and were taking cover from a rainstorm, when prosecutors said Ward opened fire.
Prosecutors said Ward thought he was shooting at rival gang members. Instead, he killed Hadiya.
The shooting happened a week after Hadiya had performed with her school band at President Barack Obama's inauguration for his second term in Washington. Coincidentally, Hadiya had also appeared in a public service announcement about gang violence in late 2008.
Wear Orange began on June 2, 2015, which would have been Hadiya's 18th birthday. Since then it has expanded to a period of three days each year – National Gun Violence Awareness Day on the first Friday in June, and Wear Orange Weekend on the Saturday and Sunday afterward.
Wear Orange noted that orange has now become the defining color of the gun violence prevention movement.
The Cubs are encouraging fans to wear orange to Sunday's game, at which Pendleton's family will throw out the first pitch.
Other Chicago sports teams have also tweeted support for Wear Orange.
