Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN — Ohio Nonviolence Week is Oct. 1 to 7 and the 13th annual Nonviolence Parade and Rally will be at 3 p.m. Oct. 1 in the city.

The goal of Nonviolence Week is to make the community stop and think about the need for everyone to work for nonviolence in the community.

A parade of walkers, cars, trucks, and floats will begin at the intersection of Wick Avenue and Wood Street, proceeding through downtown to the Youngstown Community Amphitheatre where a rally will be held immediately following the parade.

Register for the parade at www.ohiononviolenceweek.org.

Denise and John York and The DeBartolo Corp. are title sponsors 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, resolutions were approved by Youngstown City Council, Youngstown Board of Education, Youngstown State University trustees, and Mahoning County commissioners. The “Ohio Nonviolence Week” bill was approved by both houses of the General Assembly and signed by then-Gov. John Kasich in 2013. The first nonviolence parade and rally in 2011 was the idea of Sojourn student Janae Ward.

Other events for the week are:

l Oct. 1-4: Five-day Nonviolence Reading Challenge. Sign up at www.ohiononviolenceweek.org. At noon Oct. 6 there will be a panel discussion at the YWCA based on the readings. This event is sponsored by Roberta Honnay and the YWCA.

l Oct. 2: 5 to 9 p.m. at Flambeau’s Live, 2308 Market St.: Mingle with Minnijean Brown Trickey, one of the Little Rock Nine. Tickets are $25 and may be purchased at www.ohiononviolenceweek.org. Eat in or take out. Sponsored by Flambeau’s Live.

l Oct. 3: Simeon Booker Award for Courage. Speakers will be Lisa McNair and Sarah Collins Rudolph. Both lost sisters in the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Ala. 60 years ago. Lisa was born one year after her sister, Denise, was killed. Sarah was the fifth girl in the restroom and suffered damage to her eyes. Sarah is the national recipient of the Simeon Booker Award for Courage. Sister Ann McManamon, director of the Dorothy Day House in Youngstown for many years, is the local recipient.

At 5:30 p.m. is a reception at the Tyler History Center, 325 W. Federal St. Cost is $40 and tickets can be purchased at www.ohiononviolenceweek.org.

At 7 p.m. is the Simeon Booker Award for Courage event at the Tyler History Center. This event is free and open to the public and is sponsored by Mercy Health.

l Oct. 4: 6 p.m., spoken word, “Speak Your Peace” at the Hopewell Theater, 702 Mahoning Ave. This event is free and open to the public, sponsored by Roberta Hannay.

l Oct. 5: 5 p.m.: Reception for art and poetry contest winners at the Youngstown Public Library, 305 Wick Ave. This event is free and open to the public, sponsored by Roberta Hannay.

l Oct. 6: Noon, panel discussion based on the five-day read at the YWCA, 25 W. Rayen Ave. A light lunch will be provided. Free and open to the public. Register at www.ohiononviolenceweek.org or at the YWCA. Sponsored by Roberta Hannay.

l Oct. 13: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., “Chalk Over Hate” at the Jewish Community Center, 505 Gypsy Lane. A special art session titled “The Art of Emotion” for ages 6 to 13. Lunch will be provided. The program is free. For reservations contact Nic Bush at nbush@jewishyoungstown.org. Sponsored by the Jewish Federation of Youngstown.

For more information, contact Penny Wells, executive director Mahoning Valley Sojourn to the Past, chair of the Ohio Nonviolence Week committee at 330-207-4467 or pennywwells@sbcglobal.net.

news@vindy.com