Our sixth annual Youngstown May Day Festival was held May 1-3, 2026.

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Program:

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Friday

5:00 Reception 

6:00 Keynote: Vince Shivers “P. Ross Berry, the African American Who Built Youngstown"- Shivers, a local historian, shares with us the incredible story of abolitionist forefather P. Ross Berry. An inventor and architect, Berry played a role in early political and social activities in the city. 

 

Vincent Ajamu Shivers has been a historian for over 30 years, and has studied the history of Blacks in 19th century Youngstown. He holds a B.A.  in Fine Arts, an M.A. in American History, an M.A. in Historic preservation, and an Ohio Education Work Study Certificate from Bowling Green State University. He has lectured at Universities, community events, facilitated training on historic research methods, and published articles on history. He has curated educational tours for African and African American history in Africa, Europe, Asia and Canada. A former board of Director for the Mahoning Valley Historical Society, Mr.  Shivers is a George Washington Williams, John Brown, and P. Ross Berry Historian.   He worked for 10 years as an adjunct professor at YSU Honors College teaching the Underground Railroad. He has led several educational tours of the Underground Railroad through Northeastern Ohio, Western Pennsylvania, New York State, West Virginia, and Canada. He worked many years as a nationally recognized awarding winning Photojournalist and presently works for the Braceville African American Heritage Museum. 

 

7:00 Youngstown Solidarity Lending Library Opening and Ribbon Cutting by Alice Lynd - Our Lending Library offers access to a wide range of publications and other materials that aid labor, social justice, human rights, environmental rights, and movement organizing from the bottom up. 

7:30 Opening Invocation - James Rhine, North European Vitki and Mystic

8:00 Fire Performance -  Bryce Gaetano has been a fire performer for ten years. By sharing the flame in communities around the world, he has left a path of brighter hearts along the way. Each performance is a ceremony and offering to the light within each of us!

 

Saturday

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Crafts  

Coffee Filter Butterflies and Ribbon Dance Wands all day

1:15 Pressed Flower Bookmarks with Karissa

2:15 Nature Bugs with Janet 

3:15 Watercolor Parasols with Cara

 

1:00 Talk - “The Struggle for Worker Rights in the Mahoning Valley”

By: Sean T. Posey - Author, Historian, Photographer, and Librarian

 

3:00 Panel - “Mutual Aid as Community Care”

Mutual Aid is a community-based approach to meeting people’s needs through voluntary, reciprocal support. Mutual Aid has become crucial right now for many communities in our region. Join us for a panel on contemporary mutual aid practices, featuring community leaders who are building networks of care, solidarity and survival across our region.

 

4:00 Panel - “Civil Rights Struggles in Ohio, Then & Now”

Ohioans are facing uphill battles in organizing for fairness and accountability in housing, LGBTQIA rights, immigration, voting access and other important intersections of the civil rights struggle. This panel will explore the history of struggles, the status of state and Valley actions for equity and discuss how Valley residents can get involved.

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5:00 Discussion Session - “Honesty for Mahoning Valley Education”

Following the Civil Rights discussion, we welcome festival attendees to this frank, open discussion about how to more positively shape the future of Ohio public education.

 

4:15 Plarn Workshop with Carissa

 

Stage

Adele Pickle 1:30 - Adele is a Mahoning Valley-based singer whose vibrant performances reflect a life-long passion for the stage.  

Indig0forest  - 2:30- Their mix of genres including songs which advocate for self reflection and nature preservation is meant to soothe the mind, body, and spirit. 

Mixxona - 3:30 - Raised in PA, her blend of rock and R&B through the poppy plunk of a ukulele creates a fusion of sounds that entices your ear. 

Mike Stout - 4:30 - This internationally known, socially-conscious singer/songwriter is a take-charge social activist. His songs about the struggles of the working class have spanned more than four decades.

 

The Wickyards 6-11pm

Sing Along with Jonathan Blackshire- Jonathan is a Youngstown-based singer-songwriter multi-instrumentalist who has written more than 100 original songs and released 5 albums.  Songs about social issues and direct action are among his repertoire. 

 

The Evening Smoke- this Youngstown-based band features singer/songwriter Isaiah Warren and drummer/sound engineer Ian Wallace. Their influences include the blues and music from the ‘60s.

 

Wednesday Demonstration- They have been playing a blend of punk rock, power chords and protest songs since 2022. They participate in many LGBTQIA events throughout NE Ohio. 
 

Sunday

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Crafts 

Coffee Filter Butterflies and Ribbon Dance Wands all day 

1:15 Plushie Bunnies

2:15 May Day Baskets

3:15 Pocket Kindness Tokens

 

1:00 Panel - “White People’s Stake in Ending White Supremacy"

White supremacy isn’t only a system that harms people of color, it also shapes the lives, relationships, and moral horizons of white people. This panel explores what’s at stake for white communities in dismantling it, from confronting inherited advantage and identity, to building more honest relationships, and ultimately, a more just society. Ending white supremacy isn’t charity or guilt-driven work. It's about refusing a system that distorts humanity for everyone and choosing a different way to belong, act and be accountable.

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2:00 Panel - “Resistance & Resilience in Climate Chaos”

Hear how we can tackle the most pressing local issues of climate justice and land stewardship from seasoned, regional activist-stewards.

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3:00 Panel - “Workplace Organizing NOW!”

How are workers organizing in today’s economy and what new strategies are emerging in addition to traditional unions? Join us for a panel on contemporary workplace organizing practices with a special focus on worker centers and grassroots labor movements.

 

SUNDAY 4:00 Panel - “Practicing Dissent Now”

This panel brings together regional experts to discuss what it means to practice political dissent in an era marked by heightened civil liberties concerns. We’ll discuss the shifting boundaries of protest, surveillance, and state power. Panelists will consider how policies, rhetoric, and enforcement practices shaped the risks and realities faced by activists, journalists, and marginalized communities.

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