Tuscaloosa NAACP Hosts ‘End Gun Violence’ Conference in Tuscaloosa, Alabama this Friday

The Alabama State Conference National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) supports the “Wear Orange” campaign to “honor the lives of people in the United States affected by gun violence and demand an end to this crisis.” The NAACP national activities on Friday, June 4, 2021, will show support for National Gun Violence Awareness Day.

The “Wear Orange” organization was started to honor 15-year-old Hadiya Pendleton, who was shot and killed in Chicago in 2013. The color orange was what her friends wore to honor her. “After her death, they asked us to stand up, speak out, and Wear Orange to raise awareness about gun violence.”

Get our free mobile app

This has been an unconceivable year for gun violence in Tuscaloosa County. Already in 2021, there have been eight gun-related homicides that have claimed ten lives. This does not include the nonlethal shootings that have taken place.

The Tuscaloosa, Alabama Branch of the NAACP will join other NAACP branches and partner organizations on Friday, June 4, 2021, at 11 am. The Alabama NAACP notes that they will “host simultaneous press conferences across the State to support the 2021 Wear Orange Events and help put an end to all violence.” Tuscaloosa’s press conference will be held at Snow Hinton Park.

According to Every Stat, “guns are the 2nd-leading cause of death among children and teens in Alabama. In Alabama, an average of 88 children and teens die by guns every year, and 60% of these deaths are homicides.”

Lisa Young, President of the Tuscaloosa Branch of the NAACP, said that "we are losing our young people at an alarming rate due to senseless acts of violence. Too many times, we fail to address the root causes of this violence, and we can, and we must, do better.”

(Source) Click here for more information about "Wear Orange."  Click here for more information from Every Stat. Click here to follow the Tuscaloosa Branch of the NAACP.