WEAR AND SHARE ORANGE
Send a visible message of building commUNITY through kindness, acceptance, and inclusion to prevent bullying.
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The Unity Day Guide is an informative 20-page comprehensive overview of important things to know.
Unity Day Guide
An animated video created by Medha describing Unity Day from a student perspective.
Order the custom designed shirt to wear on Unity Day, NBPM and beyond.
T-shirt History
Unity Day is an opportunity to not only wear and share orange, but to showcase orange in creative ways, making the day uniquely your own.
Pam Newbauer from North Branch Middle School in Minnesota shares how her students celebrate Unity Day.
Plant a ‘seed’ of unity in schools and communities to create social change. The Unity Tree is an interactive and creative activity in which everyone can participate. It is a powerful and visual experience for students and individuals to learn the importance of preventing bullying for all students. Visit Unity Tree
Create a visual UNITY statement! In Project Connect, students write a message on an ORANGE strip of paper. The paper links are then connected to create one long chain to visually represent uniting for a common cause. Visit Project Connect
Tie orange unity ribbons to lockers, fences, or walls to create a visual reminder. Another option is to spell out a powerful message with the connected ribbons.
Designate an iconic location in your school or grounds, such a bulletin board, tree or bench, and decorate it in orange. One idea is to add painted rocks with inspiring messages creating a visual which lasts all year.
Invite all students to participate in a Unity Parade. Provide materials to create banners, posters and signs that students can carry with message of united for kindness, inclusion and acceptance. Recognize those that participate! Ideas include taking a group photo and framing it for the classroom or school office. Provide each student with an orange incentive, such as a ribbon or treat.
Create a mural that is symbolic of unity. The mural could be photos of students along with a short statement from each student about why important to be unite. Or each student could draw a picture, write a poem or story that depicts the importance of kindness, acceptance and inclusion.
Encourage staff and students to create and share a bitmoji in which they are wearing orange.
Hold an online event in which everyone has an orange themed background.
Write positive messages on sidewalks in the community or at school.
Create unity themed messages and display in windows at school or at home.
Spookley the Square Pumpkin is the Official Spokes-Pumpkin of National Bullying Prevention Month. Spookley the Square Pumpkin, tells the story of a square pumpkin living in a round pumpkin patch on Holiday Hill Farm. Although Spookley initially faces ridicule from his fellow patch-mates, he goes on to save the day during a terrible storm. As a result, all the pumpkins in the patch learn that it is the thing that makes you different that makes you special. Access the free online toolkit for teachers
Hold a classroom UNITY discussion using the worksheet to guide conversation.
In October 2014, travelers saw orange as they drove over the iconic I-35W bridge, which was lit orange at sunset in observance of Unity Day.
In October 2015, Paradise Valley Elementary School in Morgan Hill, CA decorated their classroom doors for Unity Day!
Include an orange item in the school lunch menu or classroom treats. Ideas include carrots, oranges, or cookies. One community bakery offered orange cupcakes to all its patrons that wore orange.
One school district released orange balloons during a unity presentation.
Sleepy Eye Elementary in Sleepy Eye, MN created this peace sign with all their students!
Supercoast Super Target in Odessa, FL celebrated unity and and bullying prevention month all of October, attending multiple events to share information about bullying!
Everyone at A.I.Root Middle School in Medina wore ORANGE on Unity Day!
Students at Douglas MacArthur Girls Leadership Academy, in Cleveland OH, created a school-wide friendship chain, discussed the meaning of unity, and charted ideas for how to make our school a "bully-free" place to learn. The entire student body signed a Unity Day banner, pledging that they will not allow bullying to happen at school!
Eleanor Roosevelt High School in Eastvale, CA decorated their quad. They hung up a huge poster that said "If you knew my story, you would know that…” and gave kids slips of paper to anonymously write what has happened in their life.
Special thank you to the business, individuals, local newspapers, radio and news stations and international news sources which feature stories about how Unity Day is celebrated in the community. The following are just a few highlights.
Message from Ellen’s website, posted in October 2011.
Today I wore orange on my show for a very special reason. PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center has organized an incredible movement to put an end to bullying. It's called Unity Day. Today we send a message to anyone being bullied that they're not alone. Because the truth is no one who's being bullied is alone. Just about everyone has been bullied at some point, and nobody likes it. Let's stop hurting one another and try to appreciate the things that make us different.
Today, I stand united with anyone who supports students who are being bullied. You can show the world that you're standing with me today by wearing orange. That's why I wore orange on my show. That, and it brings out the bronze tones in my complexion.
The Green Giant turned orange, the mayor declared the city's name be changed to Orange Earth and students from Blue Earth Area showed up in orange T-shirts. It was all part of a media event called Unity Day held last Wednesday morning at Blue Earth's Giant Park. Co-sponsored by General Mills and their Green Giant Company, and PACER (a Minneapolis based national Bullying Prevention Center), the hope was to create a buzz in media across the country in support of October being Bullying Prevention Month.
Photo credit to Faribault County Register
TLC partnered with PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center and Georgetown Cupcake to show their support for bullying prevention. They celebrated Unity Day with delicious orange cupcakes. Georgetown Cupcake sold the cupcakes on Unity Day, and TLC hosted a corporate event to distribute treats as they united for kindness, acceptance, and inclusion.
The Disney Interactive Grand Central Campus in Glendale was suddenly looking very orange on Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2015 as hundreds of employees donned electric orange t-shirts and congregated in the courtyard. Their colors were in honor of Unity Day, PACER's nationwide initiative to raise awareness about bullying prevention efforts. Disney Interactive Citizenship partnered with the Disney Guest Experience team, PACER's National Bullying Prevention Center and Me To We to share resources and spark conversations about bullying prevention.
Students and educators at Zavala Elementary school in Texas united for kindness. This video shows the student body wearing their orange to celebrate Unity Day.
Classrooms across the country filled with students and staff who celebrated Unity Day by dressing in orange as a symbol of support. Richmond Public Schools in Virginia, Hays Consolidated Independent School District in Texas, and Wayzata Public Schools in Minnesota are profiled in this article illustrating the creative ways they showed their support for bullying prevention through activities, videos, posters, and unity trees.
Students, ages 18-21 with disabilities, in the transitions program, and their teachers, at Brookside Education Center in Minnesota, wore orange to celebrate Unity Day. Children with disabilities are two to three times more likely to be bullied than their non-disabled peers. Transitions program instructor Lori Nelson said each of her five students have been bullied. Nelson said that for her students, Unity Day is as much about bullying prevention as it is about respect. The orange T-shirts they wore had the word “HERO” written vertically as an acrostic down the front saying “Helping Everyone Respect Others” (Albert Lea Tribune, 2017).
More than 350 students and staff at Central Junior High School in Illinois wore orange shirts to send the message “Together against bullying. United for kindness, acceptance and inclusion.” Central has participated in Unity Day since 2015. While Unity Day sheds light on the issue of bullying, Central staff members work hard all year to foster an accepting environment. The teachers and other staff are always on the lookout for signs of bullying. School staff acknowledge that they are only one part of a larger team. Parents, families, and the whole community must work together to prevent bullying.
Students and staff at the North Branch Area Middle School in Minnesota wore orange on Unity Day to send a unified message that students care about each other, and that bullying will not be accepted in school or in the community. In addition to wearing orange, students participated in a “Kindness Rocks” event. Each student at NBAMS was provided a stone upon which to paint a message of kindness. To make it most meaningful, each student placed their own rock in the new Kindness Corner of the courtyard for permanent display. (Isanti-Chisago County Star, 2017).
Amy Roloff, one of the stars of TLC’s “Little People, Big World,” is no stranger to bullying, which is why she is uniting against it. Amy wore orange to commemorate Unity Day and said that she wanted to show everyone who has ever been bullied that they don’t have to face it alone (Inquisitr, 2017).
Students at Ramstein Intermediate School in Germany wore orange while uniting against bullying in celebration of Unity Day. Gathered in the school’s courtyard, hundreds of pupils in grades 3, 4 and 5 sang songs, held hands, and recited a bullying prevention pledge, vowing not to let their “actions or words hurt others.” Students joined music teacher Steven Rayburn in singing “Don't Laugh at Me” during the school's celebration of Unity Day. In the song, children who have been teased, among others, ask for acceptance from others (Stars and Stripes, 2017).
Ella White Elementary students in Michigan participated in different activities at school to show that they are against bullying during Unity Day. The school’s 465 students made a paper chain that sends the message to unite to prevent bullying. Students also signed a poster saying they will pledge to speak up about bullying and reach out to those who are bullied. All the students received an orange bracelet to show their support for those who are bullied (The Alpena News, 2017).
Main Street School students and staff members in New York celebrated Unity Day by uniting against bullying and wearing orange shirts to show their support. Unity Day provided an opportunity for students to celebrate the friendships they've fostered within their school community. Throughout October, the students participated in the “Be a Friend Project,” which brings peer support to young targets of bullying through letters of hope, and letting young bullying targets know that they matter and they are not alone (Rivertowns Patch, 2017).
Students in K-12 in Chestertown, Pa., wore orange T-shirts in a Unity Day event to symbolize being united against bullying. Mike Therio, who coordinated the event, said the Council for Prevention, located in Hudson Falls, provided about 520 orange T-shirts, one for each of the students at the North Warren Central School. The Council for Prevention fosters healthy communities, schools, families, and individuals, urging a collaborative effort in preventing and treating various issues, including bullying. “I’m pleased to say virtually every student brought their shirt back and wore it,” Therio said. On one of the posters near the cafeteria, students posted hearts with the name (or relationship) of someone who had encouraged or supported them. “The kids really got into it,” Therio said. “It’s an opportunity to show solidarity and unity.”
COMPASS students handed out orange slips of paper to each class on which every student wrote an “I will” statement explaining how they would take a stand against abusive behavior and make the school a safer place. After the slips were collected, COMPASS students connected each of them into a large chain that was hung from the ceiling near the cafeteria.
“This is the first year that we’ve done (Project Connect), but we’re going to be continuing it throughout the next few years,” said junior Tori Nelson. “We clipped all the statements together as a visual message that we are all connected against bullying.”
The Compass class also hung a large banner in the commons that said, “Together we are stronger.”
“It’s to show that we’re all united against bullying, and really anyone can make a difference by just standing up,” said junior Julia Egly.
In honor of National Bullying Prevention Month, the Rocky Point High School Human Rights Club recently promoted PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center and Unity Day.
On Unity Day people come together — in schools, communities and online —to send one large ORANGE message of support, hope and unity to show that we are united against bullying and united for kindness, acceptance and inclusion.
As a result of Rocky Point’s Unity Day fundraising, the Human Rights Club raised $226 for PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center.
In Faribault, Minnesota 1500 elementary students from three public elementary Schools united in a special event to celebrate Unity Day. Speakers included school principals, students and special guest Holly Whannel, National American Ms. Minnesota. The music teachers taught all of the students the song, “Together We Can Change the World”.
In 2011, as an 11-year-old, Tristan McIntosh recorded the song "You Can't Take That Away From Me," for PACER's National Bullying Prevention Center "Unity Dance" song, which celebrates the importance of looking out for each other and celebrating each other's differences. In 2016, Tristan auditioned for American Idol and was unanimously voted by the judges for the "golden ticket" to the next round in Hollywood. During competition she was named to the TOP 24, and finished in the Top 6 finalists! Celebrate Unity Day by performing the dance created by Tristan and other amazing advocates!
The song selected for the dance is “You Can’t Take That Away From Me,” which was created by Nashville songwriters Tim Akers and Libby Weaver. Akers, the father of a child with a disability, has seen firsthand the struggles and frustrations that some children deal with because they are viewed as “different.”
The song speaks about the importance of teaching children to recognize that personality and character are more important than popularity and outward appearances. “The culture of bullying won’t end until people across the country take action and show children and teens that they care,” says Julie Hertzog, director of PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center. “Unity Dance Day celebrates the influence of music and dance as a powerful avenue to reach kids and teens about the bullying prevention message.”
If the song plays in you browser when you click, you can choose to Save Page in your browser menu and that will download the mp3. Alternatively, you can right-click the above link and choose "Save As".
Lyrics for “You Can't Take That Away From Me”PACER extends a shout out to everyone involved in creating the UNITY DANCE DAY video! Their talents, time, and commitment to this project are gratefully appreciated.
Celebrations were held mostly in-person with students, educators and others from around the country wearing orange to celebrate. Plus, many students created awareness by designing posters, holding unity walks, selling orange items to raise money and much more. A few highlights include:
Celebrations moved to primary in-person. A few updates included:
I have been participating since 2011 and every year I try harder to outdo the previous year. I thought it would be a difficult task going from Elementary to High School, but the amount of work we put in daily to be truly inclusive, is seen, felt and heard within our community. Thanks for all of the guidance provided. Educator quote
Celebrations continued virtually as well as in-person. A few resource highlights include:
99% = Respondents to a poll said that Unity Day helped raise awareness of bullying prevention in their school or community
“Our students love the idea of wearing orange to represent unity and let others know that they were not alone.” Educator quote
Unity Day 2020 was celebrated in person as well as virtually by schools, individuals, businesses and media across the nation.
While participation during the time of COVID-19, distance learning, and social separation looked different, the theme remained the same - to wear and share orange to unite for kindness, acceptance and inclusion to prevent bullying. Communities stepped up to the challenge of finding new ways to celebrate. A few highlights include:
Schools coast-to-coast and around the world demonstrated their support for Unity Day in unique ways. In Minnesota, where it all began, PACER Associated Director Tammy Pust and Minnesota Education Commissioner Mary Cathryn Ricker made a Unity Tree with 5th graders at Parkview Center School. In Los Angeles, a student at Watts Empowerment Center created a community garden where people united to grow both vegetables and their connection to the community. In Annapolis, Maryland, Anne Arundel County Public Schools distributed over 900 Unity Day posters to every school in their district. The district's schools celebrated in a variety of ways, with one school featuring all orange lunch options! And across the ocean, the entire student body of nearly 600 children at Vilseck Elementary School in Vilseck, Germany, wore orange to show their support.
PACER's National Bullying Prevention Center focused on some incredible partnerships with Cartoon Network's Stop Bulling: Speak Up initiative, Planet Fitness’ Judgement Free Generation, and Instagram. These partnerships produced engaging content and resources to help spread the message of kindness, acceptance, and inclusion.
Unity Day 2018 was celebrated across the nation by schools, students, community organizations, businesses, and media.
Disney and ABC supported Unity Day.
Hawaii Governor David Ige and staff created a video
Cartoonists unite for kindness, acceptance and inclusion
Many local news stations featured stories of action in their community, watch coverage from KARE11 out of Minneapolis, MN
Several newspaper comics made a strip about bullying to raise awareness of the day.
Eden Prairie Schools take part in Unity Day. Watch their video:
Special thank you to the local newspapers, news stations and international news sources which feature stories about how Unity Day 2017 was celebrated in the community. The following are just a sampling of some of the stories:
On Unity Day 2016, once again individuals, schools, communities, corporations, and celebrities joined against bullying – and united for kindness, acceptance, and inclusion. A few highlights include:
On Unity Day 2015, individuals, schools, communities, corporations, and celebrities joined against bullying – and united for kindness, acceptance, and inclusion.
Unity Day 2014 was celebrated by students, educators, families, TV personalities, corporations, and others around the world. Individuals wore orange, held events, and shared stories, photos, videos, and more on social media.
Unity Day was supported by several national partners, including Disney and Cartoon Network through public service announcements (PSAs) and social media. In addition, the fifty-five foot tall statue of the Green Giant in Blue Earth, Minnesota wore an orange toga for the day.
Unity Day continued to gather support from individuals, schools, and celebrities. Anderson Cooper wore orange on his TV show, Anderson Live, and promoted the event.
Unity Day was started by PACER's National Bullying Prevention Center as a signature event of National Bullying Prevention Month. The call to action was to "Make it Orange and Make it End. Unite Against Bullying!" Participants were encouraged to wear orange to show their support for bullying prevention. Ellen DeGeneres participated in Unity Day in 2011 by wearing orange on her TV show, Ellen, and posting about the event on her website.
An event created by PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center, to come together in one giant ORANGE message of hope and support. WEAR AND SHARE ORANGE to color our nation, and even the world, to visibly show that our society believes no child should ever experience bullying.
Unity Day is typically held annually on the third Wednesday of National Bullying Prevention Month in October.
For years, our society justified bullying with expressions, such as, “Bullying is a natural part of childhood,” “Some kids just deserve to be bullied,” or “Bullying is a rite of passage.” The goal of the day is to bring together youth, parents, educators, businesses, and community members across the nation to emphasize the message that bullying is not acceptable and that all students deserve to be safe in school, online, and in the community.
The call to action is simple—to wear and share the color orange—as a tangible representation of the supportive, universal message that our society wants to prevent bullying, and is united for kindness, acceptance, and inclusion.
As Unity Day is held during October, orange is a color commonly identified with the month and the autumn season. It is also a color that is associated with safety and visibility. It is a color described as warm and inviting, and its vibrancy makes an impactful statement. Orange was also a color that was not being used by another widely known cause.
The first Unity Day was held in 2011. The “Unity Dance,” featuring Tristan McIntosh, who went on the become a 2016 American Idol finalist, was also created that year.
In 2011, in the first year of the event, Ellen DeGeneres wore an orange sweater and talked about the significance of Unity Day on her show and promoted the event online.
There are a number of opportunities to get involved, including displaying the free posters, encouraging everyone to wear an orange item, or having a classroom discussion about what unity means and why it's important in bullying prevention. Schools have also contributed their own creative ideas such as creating orange crowns for each student or participating in Project Connect, in which each student contributes a message on a strip of orange paper to create a chain representing the power of unity. New activities include creating a Unity Tree, holding a Unity Parade, and more ideas for wearing and sharing orange.
Everyone’s involvement is important! This event goes beyond the school wall and into the community. Anyone can wear orange and share an image with an online post. For so long, those who were bullied felt that no one cared—the simple act of wearing orange shows that them that they are not alone and will hopefully empower them to speak out and reach out.
Go orange! Be creative! A few ideas include: in 2013 the iconic Green Giant statue in Blue Earth, MN wore an orange toga and lit up the night sky with an orange glow. TLC of the Discovery Channel made their logo orange for the day. Other ways to go orange include tying orange ribbons to a fence or around a tree, offering an orange item for sale with proceeds to the National Bullying Prevention Center, or creating a unity mural.
Yes! Every year there is a new, exclusive, custom-designed T-shirt that is available to order in time to wear during October and beyond.
In addition to the T-shirts, schools and individuals can order a free Unity Day poster, bookmarks and flyers.
In 2011, the event had a call to action to wear orange and unite against bullying. Today, the call to action has evolved to wear and share (through social media) orange to unite for kindness, acceptance, and inclusion.
©2023 PACER Center, Inc.
