IV 

111TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. RES. 1780 

Supporting the goals and ideals of ‘‘National Nonviolence Week’’ to raise 

awareness of youth violence in the United States. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

DECEMBER 17, 2010 

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia submitted the following resolution; which was referred 

to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform 

RESOLUTION 

Supporting the goals and ideals of ‘‘National Nonviolence 

Week’’ to raise awareness of youth violence in the United 

States. 

Whereas the Sojourn to the Past program annually takes 

high school students to the historic locations of the civil 

rights movement, teaching them how nonviolence protest 

mitigated discrimination, violence, hatred, bigotry, and 

inequity in schools and communities; 

Whereas the goal of the Sojourn to the Past program, created by Jeff Steinberg, is to inspire students to become 

civic leaders with a duty and ability to unite people in 

their communities in equality and justice, through knowledge, understanding, and compassion; 

Whereas, in 2009, a small group of Youngstown, Ohio, high 

school students who experienced Sojourn to the Past, a 


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•HRES 1780 IH 

10-day journey to the civil rights sites in the Southern 

United States, created activities for a nonviolence week 

for the city high schools; 

Whereas Mrs. Penny Wells, a social studies teacher in the 

Youngstown, Ohio, school district aligned the Sojourn to 

the Past program to Ohio State standards and the school 

district pacing guides; 

Whereas the Sojourn to the Past program offers an independent study program credit for Sojourn to the Past 

participants in support of Mrs. Wells’ effort; 

Whereas, at the request of school superintendent Dr. Wendy 

Webb, the Youngstown Sojourn students implemented 

Nonviolence Week in all the Youngstown schools during 

the first week of October 2009; 

Whereas these Youngstown Sojourn students received a declaration from Mayor Jay Williams declaring the first 

week in October 2009 as Nonviolence Week; 

Whereas the 2010 Youngstown Sojourn to the Past students 

successfully petitioned the Youngstown School Board, the 

Youngstown City Council, and the Youngstown State 

University trustees to declare the first week in October 

each year to be Nonviolence Week; 

Whereas the Sojourn to the Past program has afforded participating students an experience that is far reaching and 

life changing and serves as a catalyst for their becoming 

activists in applying nonviolence principles throughout 

their lives; 

Whereas 48 percent of schools in the United States reported 

at least one student threat of physical attack per year; 

Whereas most victims of school violence are first exposed as 

early as middle school; 


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Whereas hostility toward homosexuality and gender nonconformity continues to plague gay, lesbian, bisexual, and 

transgender youth and adults in United States schools; 

Whereas, according to the Centers for Disease Control and 

Prevention (CDC), youth violence results in considerable 

physical, social, and economic consequences; 

Whereas, according to the CDC, over 656,000 young people 

were treated for physical assaults in United States emergency rooms in 2008; 

Whereas, according to the CDC, roughly 20 percent of high 

school students reported being bullied and subjected to 

threatening language at school in 2009; 

Whereas the United States child homicide rate, for children 

less than 15 years of age, is 5 times greater than the 

combined rate of 25 other industrialized countries; and 

Whereas the principle of nonviolence has been a core philosophy of many successful social change movements: Now, 

therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) supports the goals and ideals of ‘‘National 

3 Nonviolence Week’’ to raise awareness of youth vio4 lence in the United States; and 

5 (2) encourages the people of the United States, 

6 State and local officials, middle schools and high 

7 schools, law enforcement agencies, and other inter8 ested groups to observe National Nonviolence Week 


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1 with appropriate programs and activities that pro2 mote awareness and prevention of youth violence. 

Æ 


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