Dear Kent State University Students, Faculty and Staff, Kent State will host a Juneteenth Jubilee on Saturday, June 18, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Manchester Field on the Kent Campus. The university plans to make this an annual event. Established as a federal holiday in 2021, Juneteenth celebrates the courage and perseverance of Black Americans by observing the end of slavery in the United States and commemorates the day when the news of emancipation reached enslaved Black Americans in Texas. Juneteenth is an opportunity for all of us to acknowledge the history of our nation, honor the...
Last summer, as the Taliban took over Afghanistan, many Afghans fled the country. Some landed in Akron, where a network of volunteers and government, nonprofit and educational organizations were waiting. Akron has one of the largest refugee resettlement programs in Ohio. Their goal is to help new arrivals find not just a haven, but a home in Akron. During the spring 2022 semester, 16 journalism students in the Advanced Magazine Writing class, taught by Professor Jacqueline Marino, went to Akron’s North Hill neighborhood, where immigrants from more than a dozen nations work and live. ...
Most people who have spent time on Kent State University’s campus in Kent, Ohio, recognize the name Risman. It is connected to the popular Risman Plaza and Risman Drive, but they may not realize that for the Risman family, educating and supporting students has been a family affair for almost 40 years. On May 14, hundreds of students took their graduation photos on Risman Plaza following a commencement ceremony in which the University Medallion was presented to Robert Grant Risman, who accepted the honor on behalf of the Risman family. “The Risman family’s philanthropy and leadership c...