June Aims Sparks on Gun Violence, Safety, Pride & More

June aims sparks on gun violence, safety, pride, the environment and many more awareness initiatives. It is the month to celebrate the official onset of Summer, Fathers and festivals. Here are June awareness highlights.

NATIONAL GUN VIOLENCE AWARENESS DAY (June 3rd)

National Gun Violence Awareness Day occurs annually to raise awareness of our nation’s gun violence crisis. The recent back to back massacres in Texas and Buffalo, New York are yet another reminder that we have much work left to do.

The effect of gun violence on our communities impacts everyone uniquely. The racially motivated mass shooting in Buffalo reminds us of the long-standing racial inequities in America. Black Americans are 10x more likely to die by homicide than white Americans. The Robb Elementary school mass shooting in Texas that killed 19 children and two teachers was a result of mental illness.

The eventful day is always the first Friday in June and also kicks off Wear Orange Weekend (June 3-5). Wear Orange brings together a broad spectrum of organizations, brands, and influencers working in different ways to curb gun violence.

Each year a new host country selects the theme of World Environment Day and takes the lead. In 2022 that country is Sweden.

“Only One Earth” is the theme this year. It was the slogan for the 1972 Stockholm Conference; 50 years on, this truth still holds – this planet is our only home.

With nature in emergency mode, the #OnlyOneEarth campaign wants you to celebrate the planet through collective environmental action.

#OnlyOneEarth advocates for transformative environmental change on a global scale. The campaign shines a spotlight on climate action, nature action and pollution action while encouraging everyone, everywhere to live sustainably.

It is collective action that will create the transformative environmental change we need so we can advance to a more sustainable and just Earth, where everyone can flourish. It is a given that individual consumption choices do make a difference, as well.

A simple way to take part is by using #OnlyOneEarth and #WorldEnvironmentDay on social media.

The National Safety Council (NSC) is America’s leading nonprofit safety advocate – and has been for over 100 years. The organization focuses on reducing leading causes of injury and death at work, on the road and in our homes and communities each June. Thousands of organizations work together annually to raise awareness on what it takes to keep each other safe.

The NSC values are: Be Safe – a commitment to their mission of safety; Be Bold – to challenge the status quo; Be Impactful – to exceed expectations; and Be NSC – to collaborate with others to achieve results.

PRIDE MONTH (LGBT) – a/k/a  Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month is celebrated annually in June to honor the 1969 Stonewall riots, and works to achieve equal justice and equal opportunity for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) Americans. Each city holds its own festivities and selects its own themes and dates to celebrate. You can find pride parades, marches, picnics, parties, memorials for those lost from HIV and AIDS, and other group gathering events that attract countless thousands of individuals. Three of the biggest cities — New York City, Chicago and San Francisco are holding most events LIVE  this year; parades and/or marches are still pending in some cities due to the surges in the pandemic. Check your local community listings or the Pride Events website for LGBTQ Pride events happening near you.

Gay Pride or LGBT Pride is a worldwide movement asserting that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals should be proud of their sexual orientation and gender identity. The three main messages are: (1) people should be proud of their sexual orientation and gender identity; (2) sexual diversity is a gift, and (3) sexual orientation and gender identity are inherent and cannot be intentionally altered.

June was chosen to remember the 1969 riot at the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar on famed Christopher Street in Manhattan. On June 28,1970, the first march commemorating the anniversary of the riot took place in NYC – the first of its kind in the United States. Many claim that the Stonewall Inn Riot marked the beginning of the gay liberation movement in the US.

June truly aims sparks on some of our most important and pressing issues like gun violence and the environment. We can also embrace June sparks for summer’s onset, and perhaps the biggest June celebration of them all  — Father’s Day! Whether partaking physically or virtually this year – the result will be the same. The month’s celebratory events are all Socially Sparked®.  Happy June! – We are #SociallySparked! Tweet us at @sosparkednews