Wheaton, IL — On May 27, DuPage County Board Chair Deborah Conroy and Board Member Yeena Yo proclaimed June 6 National Gun Violence Awareness Day. The observation was declared to Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense. Members Becky Koziel, Jennifer Zordani, Annie Gray, Shannon Goodrich and Puja Patel were present.
In remembering those who lost their lives to gun violence, Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense requested orange be worn on June 6. The DuPage County Board and Moms Demand Action Illinois chapter have called for residents to wear orange over the weekend of June 6 to 8. Events will be held throughout the state and across the nation over this weekend to raise awareness for the lives lost from gun violence and honor the survivors. DuPage County events include discussions on race and gun violence at Elmhurst Public Library and a blood drive in Clarendon Hills.
Conroy emphasized the continued importance of gun violence awareness and cited that over 1,700 Americans die from gun violence annually. Remembering Hadiya Pendleton was specifically mentioned at the board meeting. Pendleton was a 15-year-old high school student who was shot and murdered in Chicago in 2013. Micheail Ward, one of the two accused of Pendleton’s murder, was convicted in 2018. In 2023, his ruling was overturned due to the nature of how he was made to confess. He is awaiting a new trial, which was set for May 5.
Moms Demand Action began in 2012 after the Sandy Hook shooting. Mother of five Shannon Watts began a Facebook group that said Americans need to take action against gun violence. That group began what is now a national movement with chapters in every state fighting for gun control.
