National Underground Railroad Freedom Center Joins Wear Orange Campaign
MEDIA CONTACT:
Will Jones
(513) 333-7558
(513) 288-4834
wjones@nurfc.org
Jamie Glavic
(513) 333-7511
(513) 802-7355
jglavic@nurfc.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CINCINNATI, OH (June 2, 2017) – The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center is taking part in the Wear Orange campaign for National Gun Violence Awareness Day by lighting the exterior of the museum orange this evening, Friday, June 2. The Wear Orange campaign began in 2013 when a group of teenagers at a South Side Chicago school encouraged classmates to honor the life of murdered friend Hadiya Pendleton by wearing orange – the color hunters wear for protection and the color that reflects the value of human life. The Wear Orange campaign consists of a coalition of more than 200 non-profits, cultural influencers and political officials who work to reduce gun violence in America. The campaign is spearheaded by Everytown for Gun Safety and asks Americans every year to wear orange on June 2 for National Gun Violence Awareness Day.
“Whether we realize it or not we all are effected by gun violence,” says Dan Hurley, Interim President of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. “As a pillar in the Cincinnati community we are on the forefront, advocating a basic civil liberty for everyone – and that is safety.”
Individuals wearing orange today pledge to honor the lives of Americans taken by gun violence, to assist in keeping firearms out of dangerous hands and to protect children from gun violence. Wear Orange has already reached more than 220 million people worldwide and is becoming the symbol of the gun violence prevention movement.
The Wear Orange campaign is today, Friday June 2, 2017. For more information visit freedomcenter.org.
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ABOUT THE NATIONAL UNDERGROUND RAILROAD FREEDOM CENTER
The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center opened in August 2004 on the banks of the Ohio River in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio. Since then, more than 1.3 million people have visited its permanent and changing exhibits and public programs, inspiring everyone to take courageous steps for freedom. Two million people have utilized educational resources online at freedomcenter.org, working to connect the lessons of the Underground Railroad to inform and inspire today’s global and local fight for freedom. Partnerships include Historians Against Slavery, Polaris Project, Free the Slaves, US Department of State and International Justice Mission. In 2014, the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center launched a new online resource in the fight against modern slavery, endslaverynow.org.