CHICAGO (June 5, 2022) – As part of its “Be the Change” campaign, in a letter being sent today, the U.S. Men’s National Team players and staff have implored the members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives to vote yes on stricter gun legislation, which will be taken up in the House this week and is being negotiated in the Senate.
“Our ability to affect change is limited, but yours is not,” the USMNT said in the letter. “You could vote this week to address gun violence in America, and in fact, you will be given that opportunity. In the coming days, the U.S. House of Representatives is voting on several bills that would address this serious issue. Please vote yes on all the bills being considered.”
The full letter is available here.
During the USMNT friendly match against Uruguay in Kansas City on June 5, presented by Allstate, (5 p.m. ET; FOX, Univision, TUDN), the team will wear orange armbands in support of Wear Orange Weekend, a national movement championed by everytown.org to raise awareness against gun violence which began in 2013 following the killing of Hadiya Pendleton on a playground in Chicago.
Wear Orange is celebrated every June as thousands of people across the United States wear the color orange -- which is worn by hunters in the woods protect themselves and others -- to honor Hadiya and the more than 40,000 people who are killed with guns and approximately 85,000 who are shot and wounded every year.
In addition to the team wearing the armbands on June 5, U.S. Soccer will support “Be the Change” with in-stadium PA reads, host mentions, and campaign signage in orange and white.
The USMNT’s “Be the Change” campaign was originally launched in 2020 in response to the murder of George Floyd and other racial issues in our country. As part of the initial campaign, the team had “Be the Change” adorned on the front of their anthem jackets. The spirit of the message is that each and every person has the ability, opportunity and responsibility to make a difference in our own way.