Valley Marks Ohio Nonviolence Week

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Minijean Brown Trickey, one of the Little Rock Nine, is among the participants in this week’s commemoration of Ohio Nonviolence Week in the Mahoning Valley.

Nonviolence Week has been celebrated in Youngstown since 2010 when, at the request of Mahoning Valley Sojourn to the Past students, Nonviolence Week resolutions were passed by Youngstown City Council, the Youngstown School Board, Youngstown State University trustees and Mahoning County Commissioners.

The first nonviolence parade and rally in 2011 was the idea of a Sojourn student, Janae Ward. At the request of Sojourn students, a “Nonviolence Week in Ohio” bill was passed by both houses of the General Assembly and signed into law in 2013 by Gov. John Kasich.

The purpose of Nonviolence Week is to make the community stop and think about the need for people to work for nonviolence in their community.

Local events kicked off yesterday with the Nonviolence Parade and Rally downtown and continue today:

Monday

8:30 to 10:45 a.m. – Trickey and Ken Mason of the Southern Regional Education Board in Atlanta will speak and conduct a leadership workshop at Howland Middle School.

10 a.m. – Jeff Steinberg, director of Sojourn to the Past from San Mateo, Calif., will speak to 10th graders at East High School.

Noon – The Sojourner Domestic Violence Vigil will take place at the First Presbyterian Church in Youngstown.

12:30 to 3 p.m. – Trickey will speak at Liberty, where she and Mason will conduct a leadership workshop.

3 p.m. – Steinberg will speak to sophomores at Chaney High School.

6 to 9 p.m. – “Mingle With Minni” takes place at at Flambeau Live, 2308 Market St. Admission is $20 to come and mingle with Trickey.

Tuesday

8:30 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. – Trickey will speak to Marc Ellis’s class at McGuffey Elementary School. Trickey and Mason will conduct a morning and afternoon leadership workshop with seventh and eighth grade students from Kirkmere and McGuffey schools at McGuffey.

9:40 a.m. – Steinberg will speak to sophomores at Youngstown Early College.

9 a.m. – Juvenile Court Judge Michael Ryan from Cleveland will speak at Rayen Early College.

5:30 to 6:30 p.m. – The Simeon Booker Award for Courage reception will be held at DeYor Performing Arts Center. Admission is $25.

7 p.m. – The Simeon Booker Award for Courage will be presented at DeYor Performing Arts Center. The theme of the event is “Courageous Philanthropy.” Trickey is the national honoree and the local honoree is the James and Coralie Centofanti Charitable Fund. The event is free and open to the public

Wednesday

4:30 to 7 p.m. – Nonviolence Evening will take place at Barnes & Noble at The Shops at Boardman Park, Boardman. Nonviolence art work will be displayed. Activities for all ages include sidewalk art, coloring and book readings. Michael Nyers, author of Finding Light in the Darkness, will conduct a workshop for young adult readers. Peace cappuccino and pastries will be sold in the café.

Thursday

5 to 7 p.m. – A reception for nonviolence art contest winners will take place at Smarts Art School, 25 E. Boardman St.

Friday

3 to 6 p.m.  – “Nonviolence is Found at the Needle’s Eye” will be held at 74 Kenmore Ave. Hot dogs, hamburgers and corn on the cob will be served.

For information abut events, contact Penny Wells, director of Mahoning Valley Sojourn to the Past and chairwoman of the Nonviolence Week committee, at 330 207 4467 or pennywwells@sbcglobal.net.

Denise and John York and the DeBartolo Corp. are sponsoring the local commemoration.

Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.