Hundreds join Youngstown Nonviolence Week events

Youngstown’s Mahoning Valley Sojourn to the Past marked Ohio Nonviolence Week with community events centered on peace, youth expression and preventing violence. Hundreds of people joined the organization’s 16th annual parade and rally, where students and other participants promoted nonviolence and honored the example of Martin Luther King Jr. A separate art and poetry reception at the Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County showcased student work, including pieces about peace, and featured a message about how the arts can offer an alternative to violence. The week also included a free spoken-word poetry event at First Presbyterian Church, featuring guest poet Adrian Orlando Watson.