Kent State Remembers May 4, 1970
On May 2-4, 2025, Kent State University held the annual commemoration to honor the memory of May 4, 1970 – a tragic day when the Ohio National Guard opened fire on Kent State students during an anti-war protest on campus, killing four students and wounding nine others. May 4, 1970, marked a pivotal moment in American history. While reflecting on the past, Kent State also looks forward, recognizing the enduring impact of May 4 on the university today and its future.
Friday, May 2
At 11:30 a.m., Kent State held the Jerry M. Lewis May 4 Lecture Series and Luncheon that featured Jennifer Mapes, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Geography, who presented “It Was Time for Me to Go Home”: Finding Shared Humanity in the May 4 Oral History Collection and Community Geography.
At 3 p.m. in the Kent Student Center Kiva, author David Paul Kuhn discussed his book “The Hardhat Riot: Nixon, New York City and the Dawn of the White Working-Class Revolution.” Historians joined Kuhn for a moderated panel discussion that explores the significance of the 1970 Hardhat Riot and its lasting impact. The panel was moderated by President Todd Diacon; panelists included Thomas Grace and Gregory Wilson, Ph.D.
Saturday, May 3
Operation Babylift: A 50-Year Retrospective and Personal History was held at 1 p.m. in the Kent Student Center Kiva. The event explored the lasting impact of the Vietnam War through the perspectives of adoptee Mahli Xuan Mechenbier, J.D., and retired Maj. Gen. Ed Mechenbier, a Vietnam prisoner of war, connects the war’s humanitarian and historical consequences to Kent State’s legacy.
Danny Miller and guests held a screening of Fire in the Heartland at 5 p.m. in the Kent Student Center Kiva. This is the Award-Winning National PBS Public Broadcast-screened film- Produced and Directed by Kent State May 4 1970 Veterans, Daniel Miller, Chic Canfora, Bill Whitaker with support from Joe Walsh, and contributions from Alan Canfora, Chic Canfora, Bill Whitaker, Ken Hammond, Candy Knox, Larry Simpson, Bob Pickett, Suzanne Clark and many others.
The annual Candlelight Walk and Vigil began at 11 p.m.
Sunday, May 4
Music on the Kent State Commons preceded the commemoration at 11 a.m.
At noon on the Kent State Commons, the commemoration included 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.