STEEL VALLEY REPRODUCTIVE FREEDOM COALITION

Resolve forged in intersectionality & iron

About the Rally

  • Where is it?
    The steps of the Mahoning County Courthouse
    The courthouse is located at 120 Market Street Youngstown, OH
  • When is it?
    Saturday, May 14, 2022
    Starting at 1 PM

  • Is this a march and rally?
    No. This is just a rally.

  • Where can I park?

Parking is free (green on graphic) on the weekends at metered spots, such as on Federal Street.

Paid lots (blue in graphic) are available by the hour nearby, such as outside the Doubletree Youngstown and on West Boardman Street.

Parking is largely unavailable on Commerce Street (red on graphic).

Parking near Wood and Wick Avenue are free lots (green on graphic). Such lots are about a five minute walk from the Courthouse — Wick Avenue and Market Street are the same road.

  • What should I wear?
    We are asking that attendees wear GREEN. Green is a color associated with the fight for abortion rights across the world and symbolizes that abortion should be accessible to everyone, everywhere.
    You will also want to wear comfy shoes and perhaps some sunglasses. We will be outdoors in northeast Ohio, so dress weather-wise.
  • What should I bring?
    You may want to bring:
    • Signs
    • Water
    • Portable phone charger
    • Mask
    • Hand sanitizer
    • Snack
    • Fanny pack with ID
    • A friend or two
  • What to NOT bring?
    • Weapons
      • Seriously – NO WEAPONS
  • What should I avoid?
    The national Women’s March organization has advised against using the following:

    • Coat-Hanger Imagery
      “This imagery reinforces the right wing talking points that self-managed abortions are dangerous, scary and harmful.” Most self-managed abortions today are carried out through medication and are safe.
      If you use coat-hangar imagery on a sign, you will be asked to put it away.

    • “Handmaid’s Tale” Outfits and Imagery
      “The use of Handmaid’s Tale imagery to characterize the controlling of women’s reproduction has proliferated, primarily by white women across the country, since the show has gained popularity. This message continues to create more fragmentation, often around race and class, because it erases the fact that Black women, undocumented women, incarcerated women, poor women and disabled women have always had their reproduction freedom controlled in this country. This is not a dystopian past or future.”
      If you use “Handmaid’s Tale” outfits or imagery, you will be asked to put it away.

    • The Phrase “Safe, Legal, and Rare”
      This phrase is potentially “stigmatizing [because it] contends that abortion is not something that should be happening, thus it should be rare and reduced. There will be as many abortions as there need to be. The anti-abortion movement does not get to dictate who has abortions and why.”
  • Will there be counter-protestors?
    Yes, there will likely be counter-protestors.
    They are generally directly across Market Street, lined up outside of the Federal building there. They are as free to exercise their First Amendment rights as we are.

    We discourage interaction between the rally attendees and the counter-protestors, as it is not likely to be productive. Anti-choice folks are trained to record reproductive justice advocates to show other anti-choice folks that, in contrast to them, we are just “vulgar and angry.”

    Keeping a road – Market Street – between them and our group is for the best.
  • How long will the rally last?
    We estimate that the rally will be a little over an hour.
  • Who will be speaking?
    The list of speakers will be confirmed soon.
  • Who can I contact if I have more questions?
    Email steelvalleyrjc at gmail dot com if you have additional questions, or reach out on the Facebook event

  • What is the event hashtag?
    #BansOffOurBodies
    Please use it on social media.
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