Our Colleagues Make Care-Cards on National Gun Violence Awareness Day, Host #WearOrange Post-It Note Walls at BookCon
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Last Friday, June 1, Penguin Publishing Group recognized National Gun Violence Awareness Day by organizing an event at our 375 Hudson Street offices for Penguin Random House employees to make and write care-cards for families of victims of gun violence. Over the course of two hours, dozens of our colleagues created more than 130 hand-designed and thoughtfully written cards. They’ll be distributed to members of the Everytown Survivor Network, which brings together survivors, victims, and loved ones of those affected by gun violence.
Penguin Publishing Group’s partnership with Everytown for Gun Safety continued the next day at BookCon, where PPG and Everytown invited book lovers passing through the Penguin Random House booth to show their support for #WearOrange by writing and posting orange Post-It notes to several dedication walls labeled “I #WearOrange because…”. For every Post-It note shared, Penguin Random House donated $5.00 to Everytown for Gun Safety. Representatives from the Everytown Authors Council, including Penguin author Chris Healy, joined Penguin Random House staff in greeting and talking to visitors, many of whom wanted to share their own stories.
The #WearOrange movement originated on June 2, 2015 in honor of Hadiya Pendleton, a 15-year-old girl who was shot and killed in Chicago one week after marching in President Obama’s 2nd D.C. inaugural parade in January 2013. In the days and weeks following, Hadija’s friends commemorated her by wearing orange – the color many hunters wear in the woods to protect themselves and others from harm.
There are several ways to donate to #WearOrange and its partner organizations, who are working hard every day to build a future where every American can live free from gun violence. For a full list, click here.