Kent State will honor the memory of May 4, 1970 with three days of programming reflecting on the legacy of the day the Ohio National Guard opened fire on student protesters, killing four students and injuring nine others.
May 2:
The program will open at 11:30 a.m. May 2 with the Jerry M. Lewis May 4 Lecture Series and Luncheon. This year’s lecture will feature Jennifer Mapes, Ph.D. presenting “It Was Time for Me to Go Home”: Sense of Place and Belonging in Kent (May 1-4, 1970). This event will also be livestreamed.
Author David Paul Kuhn will discuss his book “The Hardhat Riot: Nixon, New York City and the Dawn of the White Working-Class Revolution” at 3 p.m. the Kent Student Center Kiva.
May 3:
A presentation, “Operation Babylift: A 50-Year Retrospective and Personal History” will take place at 1 p.m. at the Student Center Kiva. The event and panel will draw together personal experiences of the Vietnam War and its legacy and the historical consequences of KSU’s history.
The annual candlelight walk will step off from the Student Commons at 11 p.m. May 3, and the vigil will take place in the Prentice/Taylor Hall lot. Participants can sign up here to take part in the vigil.
May 4:
The commemoration on May 4 will gather at the Kent State Commons at noon to recognize the moment the Ohio National Guard opened fire 55 years ago. A moment of silence will be observed at 12:24 p.m. Music will precede the ceremony starting a 11 a.m., and guided tours will start at 3 p.m…