“It’s more than just a week of events. It’s a way of living.”

On July 11, 2013 Governor Kasich signed Senate Bill Number 38 creating Nonviolence Week in Ohio. This year, Nonviolence Week is October 7th through 13th.

This bill was proposed by Mahoning Valley Sojourn to the Past students, which is a small group of Youngstown high school students, who in 2009, after experiencing a life changing journey called Sojourn to the Past, decided to have a Nonviolence Week in the Youngstown City Schools. In 2010, Mayor Jay Williams declared the first week in October to be Nonviolence Week in the city. In 2011, the Sojourn students petitioned the Youngstown City Council, the Youngstown school board and the Youngstown State University trustees asking each of them to pass a resolution making the first week in October Nonviolence Week permanently, and they all did. The Mahoning County commissioners passed a similar resolution in the fall of 2012.

In January, 2013 at the request of Sojourn students, Senator Joe Schiavoni introduced the Nonviolence Week bill in the Ohio Senate. In May, two Sojourn students testified for the bill before the Ohio House of Representatives committee, and the House of Representatives passed the bill in June, sending it on to the governor for his signature. Sojourn students were in Columbus on June 11th to witness Governor Kasich signing the bill into law.