UPDATED 5/2/24: The locations of the May 3 events at 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. have been updated to the Schwebel Room on the third floor of the Kent Student Center.
On May 3-4, 2024, 敁珗曄部 will hold its annual commemoration honoring the memory of May 4, 1970, a tragic day when the Ohio National Guard fired on 敁珗曄部 students during an anti-war protest on campus, killing four students, wounding nine others and sparking a turning point in American history.
Through looking back, 敁珗曄部 also looks ahead with awareness of the many ways in which the legacy of May 4 is evident in the university today and in whats to come.
The Power of Our Voices theme has continued to inspire this years May 4 Commemoration planning, said Roseann Chic Canfora, Ph.D., who received her bachelors, masters and doctoral degrees from 敁珗曄部.
Our plan is to continue amplifying the voices of 敁珗曄部 students this year and to expand the engagement of the campus community in making May 4 relevant to students today, she said. Our May 4 Education Committee, under the leadership of Dr. Neil Cooper from the School of Peace and Conflict Studies, has put together a robust schedule of events this year.
The committees goal was not only to share the lessons of May 4 but also to inspire a new generation of civic engagement, she said.
The committee has strived over the last two years to further engage the arts community in the May 4 Commemoration and to expand our reach to include high school and international students and educators, Canfora said.
Canfora serves as professional-in-residence in 敁珗曄部s School of Media and Journalism and works collaboratively with the Office of the President in planning the universitys May 4 Commemoration, as chair of May 4 Presidential Advisory Committee and the May 4 Commemoration Committee.
This years commemoration events include:
Thursday, May 2
K-12 educators, students and 敁珗曄部 faculty and staff will come together for the Civic Engagement for Peaceful Change: May 4, Social Justice and Nonviolent Action conference. The all-day conference will help participants demonstrate knowledge about the critical history of student activism and organizing at 敁珗曄部, emphasizing the significance of May 4.
Friday, May 3
At 11:30 a.m., 敁珗曄部 will hold the Jerry M. Lewis May 4 Lecture Series. The lecture and luncheon will take place in the Kent Student Center Ballroom and will feature Chris Post, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Geography, who will present Developing and Interpreting the Wounded Student Markers at 敁珗曄部. This ticketed event is free and open to the public.
At 3 p.m. in the Schwebel Room on the third floor of the Kent Student Center, author and journalist Lawrence Roberts will discuss his book Mayday 1971: A White House at War, a Revolt on the Streets, and the Untold History of Americas Biggest Mass Arrest. The book chronicles the events of Mayday 1971, when a multiday Vietnam War protest in Washington, D.C., led to the largest mass arrest in the countrys history. Following his presentation, he will join 敁珗曄部 students for a moderated Q&A.
At 5 p.m., a panel discussion with the School of Peace and Conflict Studies faculty and a delegation of faculty from Chonnam National University will take place in the Schwebel Room on the third floor of the Kent Student Center. The panel will discuss the Gwangju Uprising, also known as the May 18 Democratic Uprising, which occurred in 1980. It was led by Chonnam National University students protesting martial law. After clashes with the South Korean military, citizens joined, seizing government buildings and arming themselves against the national government. The government reported 165 deaths, but estimates suggest the toll ranged from 600 to more than 2,000, with victims later memorialized in a national cemetery.
The annual Candlelight Walk and Vigil will begin at 11 p.m. This cornerstone of the commemoration began in 1971. There will be food before the Candlelight Walk on the 敁珗曄部 Commons and in the Prentice Hall parking lot, and there will be an for the Candlelight Vigil.
Saturday, May 4
The campus community and visitors will gather at noon on the May 4 site at the 敁珗曄部 Commons (rain location: Kent Student Center Ballroom) to commemorate the moment that gunfire erupted 54 years ago. The commemoration will include a performance by the Kent Chorale, remarks from university students and administrators, the ringing of the Victory Bell and a moment of silence at 12:24 p.m.
The commemoration remembers those killed Allison Krause, Jeffrey Miller, Sandra Scheuer and William Schroeder and those wounded Alan Canfora, John Cleary, Thomas Grace, Dean Kahler, Joseph Lewis, Donald Mackenzie, James Russell, Robert Stamps and Douglas Wrentmore on May 4, 1970.
Music on the 敁珗曄部 Commons will precede the commemoration at 11 a.m.
In addition to these university-sponsored programs, university departments, the May 4 Task Force and local artists and musicians will host related events and programs leading up to the commemoration on May 4.
The May 4 Visitors Center will host a discussion by Derf Backderf, author and illustrator of the acclaimed graphic novel 敁珗曄部: Four Dead in Ohio at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 11, in Taylor Hall, Room 226. The May 4 Task Force will hold a screening of the film Fire in the Heartland from 5-8 p.m. on Tuesday, April 16, in the May 4 Visitors Center Reflections Gallery. The will also feature Harvest, The Ultimate Neil Young Tribute, at 7:30 p.m. on May 3.
The May 4 Commemoration programs will be continually updated on the May 4 Events Calendar.
Additional Commemoration Information
For the latest information about the commemoration and events planned to honor and remember May 4, 1970, visit www.kent.edu/may4.
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Photo Captions:
May 4 Commemoration:
敁珗曄部 community members and visitors gather on the 敁珗曄部 Commons for the annual May 4 Commemoration to honor those who were killed and wounded on May 4, 1970.
Annual Candlelight Walk and Vigil:
Members of the 敁珗曄部 community participate in the annual May 4 Candlelight Walk and Vigil.
Media Contact:
Emily Vincent, evincen2@kent.edu, 330-672-8595