Latest news with #HadiyaPendleton
CBS News
6 hours ago
- Politics
- CBS News
Hadiya Pendleton's parents hold annual "Party 4 Peace" honoring slain honor student
More than 12 years after 15-year-old honor student Hadiya Pendleton was shot and killed in Chicago, her parents remain as passionate as ever about preventing gun violence, holding an annual event to honor the life of their daughter and other families who have lost loved ones to shootings. Hadiya was shot and killed just days after she marched in former President Obama's second inauguration parade. Her death sparked a national conversation about gun violence in Chicago that resonated all the way to the White House. For the past 12 years, her parents have held an annual "Party 4 Peace" on the South Side. Saturday afternoon, Nate Pendleton and Cleopatra Cowley found peace in the park now named after their daughter. "It means something. It's highly impactful," Cleopatra said. "She was a majorette at King High School. She was a very bright person. Sometimes you could forget that you're talking to a child," Nate said. Nate and Cleopatra lost their daughter in January 2013. Hadiya was shot and killed in Harsh Park about a half mile away from her school. It's a different park than the one now bearing her name. "Hadiya was 15 when she died. She got shot in the park. Since then, we've just been trying to make something better happen," Nate said. A year after Hadiya's murder, her parents started the nonprofit Hadiya's Promise – committing to prevent gun violence and to support families like their own. "It is very important to us that people feel like there's a place that they're safe," Cleopatra said said. The first Saturday of every June, Hadiya Pendleton Park in the Grand Boulevard neighborhood is peaceful – and bright orange – at the annual Party 4 Peace. Orange was Hadiya's favorite color, and since 2015 the "Wear Orange" movement has honored her life and all those affected by gun violence. "My goal is to share with others what I've experienced. Like, hey, let's have a conversation about it, because it's very often where we feel like we're by ourselves," Cleopatra said. Cleopatra and Nate are not alone, but surrounded by their daughter's friends and their growing family. "The family keeps expanding," Cleopatra said. In the park named after their daughter, Hadiya's parents are at peace and feel her presence. "She's here. She's here right now," Nate said. "That's what brought all these people out. So her essence is here." The man previously convicted of Hadiya is awaiting a new trial. Micheail Ward's new trial date has not been set, but he's due back in court on Wednesday.
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Yahoo
Community gathers to honor Hadiya Pendleton in Bronzeville
CHICAGO (WGN) – Community members came together Saturday on the South Side to honor the memory of Hadiya Pendleton 12 years after she was murdered. Hadiya's Promise held its 12th annual Party 4 Peace to help raise awareness for gun violence prevention. This year's party brought out hundreds of people to Hadiya Pendleton Park in Chicago's Bronzeville neighborhood. 'We called this event today a party for peace, because there was no way we could have partied when Hadiya left us,' Hadiya's mother Cleo Cowley said. Getaway driver in deadly shooting of 15-year-old Hadiya Pendleton sentenced to 42 years Hadiya was 15 years old when she was shot and killed in the same park where Saturday's event was held. The shooting happened just days after she performed at former President Barack Obama's second inauguration as a member of her high school marching band. Cowley said several of her daughter's classmates from King College Prep were in attendance at Saturday's event. 'That is just a glimpse into the impact gun violence has. It's not just the person that dies, it's not just the immediate family, it's the people they touch, and that goes for everyone,' Cowley said. Hadiya's family holds their Party 4 Peace every year on the first Saturday in June, because Hadiya's birthday was June 2. It's also within the same week that 'Wear Orange Day' or 'National Gun Violence Awareness Day' are observed. This year, Hadiya would have turned 28 years old. 'It's important to let her name live on. It's something that maybe she wouldn't have wanted to be involved in, but her namesake is promoting healthy outcomes for children,' family friend Nikki Wilson said. Man convicted in Hadiya Pendleton death to remain in custody as he awaits new trial The event also promotes the park as a safe place for families to come after shootings once gave it a bad reputation. Organizers hope their efforts can help further legislation aimed at preventing gun violence. 'We're not going to get weary. We're going to keep fighting. We're going to keep joy i the fighting until we don't have to fight anymore,' Rep. Robin Kelly (D-Illinois) said. Hadiya's alleged shooter, Michael Ward, was convicted but had the conviction overturned by a judge in 2023. He now awaits a new trial, which comes as tough news for a family who said they want closure. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
St. Francis Hospital recognizes National Gun Violence Awareness Day
HARTFORD, Conn. (WTNH) — Friday is National Gun Violence Awareness Day. Guns are listed as the leading cause of death for children and teens in the United States and more than 100 Americans are killed with guns every day, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Governor Lamont advocates for more funding for gun violence prevention Saint Francis Hospital hosted a ceremony and speaking program Friday morning to honor those who have been impacted by gun violence and raise awareness of the important day. 'On Jan. 29, 2013, Hadiya Pendleton, a 15-year-old high school sophomore was shot and killed while standing in harsh park in Kenwood, Chicago,' hospital president Valerie Powell-Stafford said. 'Her death drew a national spotlight and stands as a reminder of how easily and abruptly gun violence can disrupt lives. The 'Wear Orange' campaign for gun violence awareness runs through the weekend. You can wear something orange to show your support for the movement. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBS News
2 days ago
- CBS News
Loved ones of gun violence victims to honor them by wearing orange this weekend
People around the country, including Chicago, will be wearing orange in observance of National Gun Violence Awareness Day. It's also to honor Wear Orange weekend, which recognizes the people shot and killed every day in the country. The movement is in remembrance of Chicago teen Hadiya Pendleton, who was shot and killed on a playground while with her friends. Her loved ones continue to honor her by wearing the color. Hadiya's mother, Cleo Pendleton, said that despite some changes, there is still work to be done. "There've been a lot of attempts to make changes and a lot of things implemented. However, I think there are still areas where it can be done," she said. "It's easy to want to take the win in those situations, but there's someone that's still taking a loss." On Monday, which would have been Pendleton's 28th birthday, Senators Dick Durbin, Tammy Duckworth, and Robin Kelly introduced a resolution designating June 6 as Wear Orange Day. Orange was also Hadiay's favorite color.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Blue Bridge to turn orange to honor gun violence victims
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — The Blue Bridge in downtown Grand Rapids will turn orange this weekend to honor victims of gun violence and bring awareness to the issue. It's the 11th year of the national '' movement, which always falls near National Gun Violence Awareness Day, observed the first Friday in June. Orange lights will spotlight the iconic Blue Bridge over the Grand River beginning Thursday night and through dusk Sunday. On average, 125 people are shot and killed daily in the United States. Hundreds more are wounded or traumatized, according to Wear Orange. State task force releases gun violence recommendations The movement encourages people to commemorate the weekend by wearing orange clothing, planting orange marigolds in honor of someone impacted by gun violence, changing the lights on their homes to orange or tying an orange ribbon around their trees or porches. The color orange was chosen because it 'has a long and proud history in the gun violence prevention movement,' according to the . It was the color friends and family of Hadiya Pendleton wore after she was shot and killed in Chicago in 2013 — her death sparked awareness campaign Project Orange Tree, which inspired Wear Orange. It's also the color worn by hunters 'to protect themselves and others,' the movement says. Wear Orange says its movement is active in every state and Washington, D.C. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
