Georgia is the Peach State, but visitors who flew into Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport this weekend were welcomed to the hue of a different fruit.
The two signature canopies at the airport’s front entrance were lit orange Friday night in support of gun violence reform, according to city officials.
The move was one of several gestures of support during Wear Orange weekend, a national event poised to raise awareness about the need for more gun violence prevention.
Gun reform laws have once again become a hot-button political issue in the wake of three mass shootings in recent weeks. Perhaps most notable was the May 24 shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. An 18-year-old gunman armed with an AR-15 style rifle killed 19 students and two teachers, according to news reports. It was the third deadliest school shooting in U.S. history, The Associated Press reported.
Several celebrities, activists and federal lawmakers are participating in Wear Orange weekend. The White House was even illuminated orange Friday night in observance of National Gun Violence Awareness Day, which coincides with the weekend.
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens was among several mayors across the country who supported the awareness campaign, taking to social media Friday to urge U.S. senators to pass “bold” gun safety legislation.
The Wear Orange movement began in June 2015, on what would’ve been the 18th birthday of Hadiya Pendleton. The 15-year-old teenager was gunned down on a playground near her South Side home in Chicago in January 2013, one week after marching in then President Barack Obama’s second inaugural parade.
Activists say orange has come to symbolize the movement for gun violence prevention because it’s the color hunters wear for protection in the woods.
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