WHAT: Say No to 616 on 6/16 Rally - Ohio students, educators, and community members are meeting at the Statehouse this Thursday to demand that lawmakers block House Bill 616, promoting the right to an honest and accurate education. At the rally, students from the Ohio Student Association will be doing a visual demonstration that highlights how the bill will whitewash history and erase identities and cultures. 

WHERE: Statehouse, West Plaza

WHEN: Thursday, June 16th @ Noon

WHO: 

• Maria Bruno, Equality Ohio

• Andre Washington, NAACP

• Dr. Brad Maguth, Prof Curricular & Instructional Studies, University of Akron, Ohio Council for the Social Studies (OCSS)

• Rev. Dr. Amariah McIntosh, Ohio Organizing Collaborative (OOC)

• Other Speakers, TBD 

WHY: Ohioans are meeting to show opposition to HB 616 and demand our lawmakers vote NO on any future bills like HB 616. Every student has the right to an honest and accurate education, free from political agendas and bias. HB 616 threatens this basic right. HB 616, which has been named as Ohio’s version of Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill, would penalize teachers for educating their students about LGBTQ-related topics, including gender identity and sexual orientation, and ban education about “divisive and inherently racist concepts”.

Pictures and video from both rallies will be made available in this folder for media use: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1CUczT2zCS9hVtWm8zObe9KyiMWYxgLfP?usp=sharing