Hundreds of community members gathered at Alexandria’s Market Square Friday evening (June 7) for the annual Wear Orange rally, joining a nationwide movement to honor victims and survivors of gun violence while demanding action to address what speakers called a public health crisis.
The event, organized by the Alexandria local group of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, featured emotional testimonials from survivors, calls to action from elected officials, and artistic performances highlighting the impact of gun violence.
“Every day, more than 125 people in America are killed by gun violence. Every year, that number exceeds over 44,000,” Alexandria Mayor Alyia Gaskins told the crowd. “And every year, more than 97,000 people are shot and wounded in our country.”
Gaskins, who read an official proclamation recognizing National Gun Violence Awareness Day, emphasized that these statistics represent real people with stories.
“Every number is a person with a story. It is a co-worker, a friend, a parent, a child. It is a neighbor,” she said.
The Wear Orange movement began in 2015 to honor Hadiya Pendleton, who was shot and killed at age 15. Her friends chose orange – the color hunters wear for safety – to symbolize the value of human life.
Jennifer Wright delivered one of the evening’s most powerful moments, sharing her experience as a survivor who lost her son Adonis to gun violence in 2017.
“On June 17, 2017, at exactly 12 midnight, I received a call that changed my life forever,” Wright said. “After what felt like forever, doctors and detectives came out and told us Adonis didn’t make it.”
Wright described the additional trauma of being unable to see her son’s body, which was considered evidence in a crime scene.
“My child just died, and I wasn’t allowed to say goodbye, to touch his hand, or just hold him one last time,” she said. “This broke me.”
The event highlighted the particular impact gun violence has on young people. Ruby Gerstein, a sophomore at Alexandria City High School and lead for the school’s Students Demand Action chapter, spoke about how gun violence affects students’ daily lives.
“We are just five months into 2025 and there have already been 23 school shootings in America. That is one shooting a week,” Gerstein said. “Guns are the leading cause of death for kids and teens. How is it possible that this is the norm in the United States?”
Gerstein described how students at Alexandria City High School’s new campus immediately questioned whether the glass walls were bulletproof.
“Why do we even need to worry about this in our schools? We should be worried about studying for a math test or finishing an essay for English class, not whether someone will storm in with a deadly machine gun that they bought legally,” she said.
Delegate Elizabeth Bennett-Parker emphasized the legislative efforts to address gun violence and the obstacles those efforts face.
“In the General Assembly, we have repeatedly passed bills to prevent tragedies like these from happening again,” Bennett-Parker said, listing bills to prohibit guns from university campuses, enact waiting periods for gun purchases, and keep guns away from children and domestic abusers.
“These bills were crafted with input from law enforcement, judges, and domestic violence survivors and advocates, and they would have saved lives. But the Governor vetoed these bills,” she said.
The event also featured artistic expressions addressing gun violence. Alexandria Poet Laureate Cristi Donoso read two poems, including one titled “Vigilance” about the freedom experienced in countries with stricter gun laws.
“I am too busy with joy to scan the park for danger, to calculate possible protective positions where we would duck or hide or run,” Donoso read. “My fear will welcome me at home and I must recommit each time we return to never being quite so joyful or busy here again.”
A group of high school students representing Impact, Inc., a youth-led initiative that amplifies young voices on gun violence through art, performed spoken word pieces.
In addition to the speaking program, the event included a blood drive in partnership with Inova. Organizers noted that gunshot victims are five times more likely to require blood transfusions than other patients, and those transfusions require 10 times more blood.
Kelly Johnson, local group lead for Alexandria Moms Demand Action, emphasized the organization’s growth since its founding after the Sandy Hook tragedy in 2012.
“We are now 12 million volunteers strong across the country. We have chapters in every state and in Washington, D.C.,” Johnson said. “We are a force.”
The Alexandria event was one of more than 400 Wear Orange events taking place across the nation throughout the weekend.
Numerous current and former officials attended, including Virginia State Senator Adam Ebbin, Delegate Paul Krizek, Leader Charniele Herring, Alexandria Vice Mayor Sarah Bagley, Councilman John Chapman, Councilman Canek Aguirre, former Vice Mayor Annie Jackson, Sheriff Sean Casey, City Manager Jim Parajon, School Board Chair Michelle Rief, and Lieutenant Governor candidate LaVar Stoney.
