UNC to celebrate Hug a Ginger Day

Don’t be alarmed to see people with red hair being embraced by random strangers today.

Hug a Ginger Kid Day, celebrated every Nov. 20th by a small but enthusiastic Facebook group, was created by those outraged by the “discrimination” against people with red hair.

As a way to raise awareness, today has been designated as an additional day for the celebration of redheaded peoples on campus by the Carolina Crimson Clan.

The Carolina Crimson Clan, a Facebook group committed to uniting redheaded individuals at UNC, was founded by freshman Hannah Weinberger.

Weinberger said she started the group as a way to amuse herself between classes, but the group has since taken on a life of its own.

“I feel like Hug A Ginger Day has become more of a day to appreciate networking and the power of word of mouth,” she said. “I had originally invited 100 people to the group and now we have nearly 900 people attending.”

Weinberger’s friend and fellow redhead, freshman Mindy Roth, credits the group as Hannah’s brainchild. However, Roth was the person who initially suggested they systematically identify all of the gingers on campus.

“Hannah really took it upon herself to explode the idea,” Roth said.

As a ginger, Weinberger said she feels she’s more attuned to the presence of other gingers.

“Within our first few weeks at UNC, Mindy and I noticed an abnormally large group of gingers here. And I said to Mindy, ‘We should assimilate a large ginger database,’” Weinberger said.

Weinberger also said the day will be a test of confidence.

“Getting up the courage to approach a nameless face with a bear hug is a daunting feat, but I feel that Tar Heels have the audacity to do anything to which they commit,” she said.

Freshman Rebekah Morrison said she thinks Hug A Ginger Day is hilarious.

“I’m not really a ginger, but I’d love to be hugged by random people,” she said, adding that she loves being a redhead. “People always say things about my hair. It’s my most recognized trait.”

Weinberger said she looks forward to being embraced by her peers and applauds society’s lighthearted outlook on the redheaded subject.

“I don’t understand why it doesn’t coincide with socially acceptable conduct to acknowledge people in passing and recognize their existence,” she said.

“If others could appreciate the humor gingers bring to their lives visually, that would make me happy. I don’t know, maybe it’ll become a daily thing.”

Contact the Features Editor at features@unc.edu.