Friends and organizers with T.R.I.G.G.E.R. Project, a DC-based gun violence prevention organization on Wear Orange Day
June is Gun Violence Awareness Month and at the Greater Washington Community Foundation, we aim to provide both local and national context to the region around our efforts-and those of our partners-to promote community safety. This is particularly timely as funding for Community Violence Intervention (CVI) programs both nationally (and here in DC) faces uncertainty.
The Origins of Gun Violence Awareness Month & Wear Orange Day
The House of Representatives first designated June as Gun Violence Awareness Month in 2021. But the movement began years earlier as a tribute to Hadiya Pendleton - a high school student from Chicago who was shot and killed on a playground in 2013, just one week after marching in President Obama’s inauguration.
On the first Friday in June – what would have been her birthday - Hadiya’s friends chose to celebrate her life by wearing her favorite color, orange. The gesture was quickly adopted by advocates across the country, as a way remember and honor victims of gun violence.
By 2015, communities across America began observing Wear Orange Day/Gun Violence Awareness Day on the first Friday of June – to honor those - like Hadiya – who lost their lives and to take a stand against gun violence.
The Role of a Community Violence Intervention (CVI) Ecosystem
Reducing gun violence is complicated and requires multifaceted approaches and work across sectors. But some of the most promising solutions lie in the communities that are most impacted. CVI Ecosystems link a variety of approaches toward gun violence reduction to holistically address the issue. These ecosystems are most impactful when community, hospital, and school-based interventions collaborate, are rooted in data and are connected to city resources and supports.
In most cities, a very small percentage of people - often less than 1% - drive most of the gun violence. CVI leans into this population through intensive engagement and interventions led by relatable teams of frontline workers (sometimes called credible messengers or violence interrupters).
To learn more about these strategies and CVI more broadly, check out our webinar from February titled ‘Building Safer Communities: A Donor's Guide to Community Violence Intervention Strategies’.
DC’s Violence Prevention Network - The Promise & Potential
Members of Cure the Streets, a CVI initiative driven by the National Association for the Advancement of Returning Citizens (NAARC) with Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie (I - At-Large)
Here in DC, we’re fortunate to have a fully committed network of people working to prevent and interrupt violence. Through city-led efforts via ONSE and OAG and their partnership with those on the ground and in hospitals, a group of individuals with diverse expertise are invested in this work. Over the last year, the DC Community Safety Collaborative has been working to identify key priorities for local attention and investment. We know that through continued collaboration and cross-sector investment, DC has the ability to further drive down violence and build capacity in public health approaches.
In addition to our philanthropic and private sector partners- several key city and nonprofit representatives sit at a table with us in developing our strategy. Below, those partners and the work they lead to reduce and prevent violence locally (making up elements of our local CVI Ecosystem) are highlighted:
Office of the Attorney General of DC’s Cure the Streets operates in discrete high violence neighborhoods using a data-driven, public-health approach to gun violence by treating it as a disease that can be interrupted, treated, and stopped from spreading.
NAARC (National Association for the Advancement of Returning Citizens) is committed to supporting formerly incarcerated residents of DC. While NAARC leads a variety of programs, their work to lead several Cure the Streets sites helps to interrupt local violence through trusted, credible violence interruption teams.
Peace for DC is committed to addressing gun violence holistically. The DC Peace Academy provides advanced, hands-on classes for the professional and personal development of DC’s violence intervention professionals.
Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement (ONSE) leads a Violence Intervention initiative that uses a three-pronged approach that incorporates a public health perspective. The approach focuses on all persons affected by violent acts, including victims, perpetrators, and their support systems/networks
Project CHANGE- is the District’s Hospital-based Violence Intervention Program (HVIP) and provides services to individuals and their families who have experienced a life-threatening intentional injury.
While negative headlines can sometimes overshadow progress, we're committed to highlighting the positive, life-saving work happening in our local gun violence prevention and intervention space.
Join Us in Making a Difference
We invite you to join us on June 10th for a discussion on philanthropy's role in advancing gun violence reduction strategies. Register here to participate.
Throughout Gun Violence Awareness Month, we'll be sharing more insights on this critical issue. Together, we can build safer communities through collaborative, community-centered approaches to preventing violence.