Columbia, South Carolina – Columbia will mark the start of National Gun Violence Awareness Month with a community walk and day of reflection, remembrance and public action on Saturday, June 6, 2026.
The City of Columbia, Moms Demand Action, and the Everytown Survivor Network are joining together for a Wear Orange Walk, a free event open to people of all ages. The walk is meant to honor survivors of gun violence, remember lives lost, and bring residents together around efforts to prevent future violence.
Participants will gather at 9:30 a.m. at the Busby Street Community Center, located at 175 Busby Street. The walk will begin at 10:30 a.m. and follow a predetermined route through the community before ending at the Katheryn Bellfield Community Center, located at 2611 Grant Street.
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At the Bellfield Center, the event will continue with guest speakers, food, live music, games and resource providers. Organizers hope the day will offer both a moment of awareness and a chance for families, advocates and neighbors to connect with support and information.
The event comes as communities across the country prepare to observe Gun Violence Awareness Month, which is held every June. The month is dedicated to honoring survivors and advocates, raising awareness about the impact of gun violence, promoting responsible gun ownership, and supporting policy changes aimed at preventing gun violence.
The Wear Orange movement has become one of the most visible symbols of that effort. Orange was chosen because it is the color hunters wear to protect themselves and others. The movement also carries the memory of Hadiya Pendleton, who marched in President Barack Obama’s second inaugural parade on January 21, 2013. One week later, she was shot and killed on a playground in Chicago.
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After her death, Hadiya’s friends wore orange to honor her life. That act of remembrance grew into a national movement. Wear Orange began on June 2, 2015, which would have been Hadiya’s 18th birthday. Today, National Gun Violence Awareness Day is observed on the first Friday in June and opens Wear Orange Weekend.
Wear Orange honors Hadiya and the nearly 130 people shot and killed each day in the United States, as well as hundreds more who are wounded and countless families and communities changed by gun violence.
Residents can take part by wearing orange at the June 6 walk, supporting advocacy efforts, or organizing awareness events of their own. More information about the national movement is available at Wear Orange.
