Alexandria Mayor Alyia Gaskins and Del Elizabeth Bennett-Parker (D-5) will join the Virginia chapter of Moms Demand Action onstage at Market Square (301 King Street) on Friday (June 6).
Friday is National Gun Violence Awareness Day, and the annual rally is part of Wear Orange Weekend. Gun violence victims will be honored in events throughout the country by affected families and supporters. The city’s new Poet Laureate, Cristi Donoso, will also speak at the event, which includes an on-site blood mobile and a community resource fair.
The blood mobile is available from 5 to 8 p.m., the resource fair will be open from 6 to 8:30 p.m., and the speaking program will start at 7 p.m.
According to Moms Demand Action:
On Friday, June 6, 2025, as , volunteers with the Alexandria local group of the Virginia chapter of Moms Demand Action will host a Wear Orange Rally to honor victims and survivors of gun violence and raise awareness about this public health crisis. This event will be held in Old Town Alexandria’s Market Square on National Gun Violence Awareness Day. This annual event takes place the first Friday of each June and signals the beginning of Wear Orange Weekend. Wear Orange is dedicated to honoring the lives of people in the United States affected by gun violence and elevating the voices of those demanding an end to the gun violence crisis in America.
Wear Orange originated on June 2, 2015 — what would have been Hadiya Pendleton’s 18th birthday. It began with teenagers in Chicago, who wanted to honor their friend Hadiya after she was shot and killed on a playground at 15 years old. Today, Wear Orange honors Hadiya and the more than 120 people who are shot and killed every day in America, as well as the hundreds more who are wounded and the countless others who are traumatized by witnessing acts of gun violence. Wear Orange brings together survivors, activists, and communities all over America to demand change.
In the first half of 2025, gun violence in America has already devastated far too many families and communities. But as gun violence has continued, so too has the movement to stop it. Every year, #WearOrange expands as community partners and gun safety advocates hold events — from local rallies, to community beautification projects, to donation drives, and Wear Orange walks. This year, Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action volunteers will be organizing hundreds of Wear Orange events across the country and their voices will be louder than ever.
