May 4
A refreshed May 4 National Historic Landmark Site Tour will premiere during the 2024 May 4 commemoration this weekend. The outdoor tour signs, which debuted in 2010 during the 40th commemoration, allow Kent State visitors to trace the steps of history of the events of May 4, 1970, through text, video, image, and narration.
Kent State University will hold its 54th annual commemoration honoring the memory of May 4, 1970, a tragic day when the Ohio National Guard fired on Kent State students during an anti-war protest on campus, killing four students, wounding nine others and sparking a turning point in American history.
The School of Peace and Conflict Studies originated at Kent State as a response to May 4. Today it’s central in Kent State’s global presence. We travel to Rwanda, where Kent State convened a global peace education conference and, through the Kigali Summer Institute, immerses students in peace-building centered on reconciliation, in a place that experienced the unimaginable 1994 genocide.
Listen to episode two of May 4: Legacy, which continues with the story of Kent State fraternity brothers drive to the nation’s capital in the hours after the shootings and make their way to an Oval Office meeting with President Richard Nixon. We also move into the 21st century with Associate Dean and retired Lt. Col. Mo McFarland on the May 4 legacy.
What’s past is prologue. Let the history of May 4, 1970, be heard this week.
In her first year as the director of the May 4 Visitor Center, Alison Caplan has enjoyed uniquely wonderful and "magical" experiences in how Kent State's history creates connections and inspiration.
The idea was simple: Physically connect people with the locations of the May 4, 1970, Kent State University shootings so they might better connect with each other.
An all-day conference, presented by the May 4 Education Committee for K-12 educators, students, and Kent State University faculty and staff, will help participants demonstrate knowledge about the critical history of student activism and organizing at Kent State, emphasizing the significance of May 4.
Blooming flowers and budding trees herald the annual green up on campus in spring semester.