2019 Education Summit Videos

The first events of the 50th commemoration of May 4, 1970, took place on July 31 and Aug. 1, 2019, during the May 4, 1970, Then & Now: Voices for Change, Educators Summit. Two keynote addresses provided a diverse perspective of the history and legacy of the events of May 4, 1970. We invite you to view videos of these two powerful and moving keynotes delivered on July 31 by Tom Grace and on Aug. 1 by Sara Abou Rashed.

July 31 Tom Grace Keynote

The July 31 Education Summit community keynote presented by Thomas Grace, scholar and instructor of American history and one of the nine students wounded on May 4, 1970. Mr. Grace is the author of the book "Death and Dissent in the Long Sixties" (2016). This was the first event of the 50th Commemoration of May 4, 1970.

Aug. 1 Sara Abou Rashed Keynote

Sara Abou Rashed, student activist, poet and artist, presented a free community keynote as part of the Voices for Change Educators Summit on Aug. 1, 2019. This was part of the start of the yearlong observance of the 50th anniversary of the May 4, 1970, shootings.

Community poem, “America, My Voice for Change"

The community poem, “America, My Voice for Change,” was created at the Voices for Change Educators Summit (Summer, 2019) presented by Kent State University’s School of Teaching, Learning and Curriculum Studies. Using the Wick Poetry Center’s Thread application, community voices were collected in response to keynote speaker Sara Abou Rashed’s poem, “I Am America,” and scripted by the Wick Poetry Center. The next day, Sara Abou Rashed and summit participants performed the community poem at the close of the summit.