Does your school need a wake-up call? Most campuses do, so you’re not alone. Hosting a display that shows the magnitude of lives affected by abortion is a gentle and peaceful way of informing your campus of why it’s important to take a stand for life. Sometimes our peers just don’t understand the extent of lives taken by abortion each day. It’s our job to remind them!
SFLA Resources to Request from your Regional Coordinator:
- “Fetal Development” topic cards
- “What has Roe Done?” topic cards
- “Apologetics 101” and/or “Apologetics 201” training
- If needed, pink crosses
Steps:
- Find or make crosses.
- Do any other pro-life groups in your area do cemetery displays? If so, ask to borrow their crosses.
- Think: Churches, Religious Schools, RTL groups, etc.
- Make them yourself.
- If you are wanting to display 300 crosses, each one representing 10 lives lost from abortion, you will need help making them. One idea is to use paint stirring sticks and wire them together. You can get these for free at local paint stores.
- Ask your Regional Coordinator.
- Your Regional Coordinator may be able to provide your group with little pink crosses from SFLA.
- Do any other pro-life groups in your area do cemetery displays? If so, ask to borrow their crosses.
- Reserve a space for the display.
- A high-traffic outside area will be best due to the space you will need. Try to host the display for multiple days.
- High Schools- Ask for permission to display your crosses on the front lawn. Put up a sign explaining what it is so that students can read it on their way into school. You can also stick your crosses into large sheets of Styrofoam and display them during lunch periods.
- Colleges- Keep in mind that public colleges cannot deny your request to do this display. Also, pro-choice students have become increasingly hostile and you can expect vandalism towards your display. If it belongs to someone else, consider assigning group members to take shifts keeping watch over it (day & night).
- Contact SFLA with any trouble.
- Figure out the logistics of the display.
- Keeping your lines straight for displaying the crosses can be tough. Cut string to the desired length, tether each end to a stake, and use that as a guide to keep straight lines.
- How will the crosses stay in the ground? If you’re using wood crosses, you may want to bring mallets in case the ground is hard.
- Create flyers.
- Ask one of your artistic group members to create quarter or half sheet flyers for the display. Make sure the flyers explain that each of the 300 crosses represents 10 lives lost to abortion in the U.S. each day. Include post-abortion resources and your local pregnancy help organization information, in addition to ways that students can get involved with your group at the bottom (next meeting time, social media, email, etc.).
- Organize workers for the display.
- Ask members to sign-up for shifts to host the display. Assign at least two members at all times to be present. Set-up at least 1 hour before starting the display, and both set-up and take-down will require multiple people.
- Ask your Regional Coordinator to give your group an “Apologetics” training so that group members are prepared for any tough questions they may get.
- Remember, this may include shifts to keep watch for vandals.
- Work the display.
- As you hand out flyers to students, smile and say, “Here’s some information on our display!” If someone is upset and angry, stay calm. Remember, you don’t know their story. They may have abortion in their past. You are representing your group, Students for Life of America, and the pro-life movement. Be loving, be kind, be truthful and your display will touch many people.
Questions? Contact your Regional Coordinator at [yourstate]@studentsforlife.org for more information.
