Unity Day (United States)

Unity Day, the signature event of National Bullying Prevention Month (observed in the United States on third or fourth Wednesday of October), has been recognized in the United States since 2011. To participate in Unity Day, individuals, schools, communities, and businesses wear or share orange to unite for kindness, acceptance, and inclusion to prevent students being bullied. One in five school-age children report being bullied at school.
History.
October 2020
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:
October 2019
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.
October 2018
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, https://twitter.com/GovHawaii/status/1055271665670606849
Cartoonists unite for kindness, acceptance and inclusion, https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2018/10/24/six-chix-mutts-among-comics-combatting-bullying-unity-day/
Many local news stations featured stories of action in their community, watch coverage from KARE11 out of Minneapolis, MN https://www.kare11.com/article/news/unityday2018-reaches-all-corners-of-the-world/89-607792939
"Schools created videos":
Several newspaper comics made a strip about bullying to raise awareness of the day.
October 2017
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:
October 2016
On Unity Day 2016, once again individuals, schools, communities, corporations, and celebrities joined together against bullying – and united for kindness, acceptance, and inclusion. A few highlights include:
October 2015
On Unity Day 2015, individuals, schools, communities, corporations, and celebrities joined together against bullying – and united for kindness, acceptance, and inclusion.
October 2014"
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/ABC Family and Cartoon Network, through public service announcements (PSAs) and social media promotion. 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.
Anti-Bullying Day originated in Canada in 2007, and is a day when people wear a pink, blue, or purple shirt on Feb. 27th, to stand against bullying.
The United Nations declared the official anti-bullying day as May 4, starting in 2012.