May 4 50

For the first time since 2019, Kent State University will remember May 4, 1970, with its return to an in-person, annual commemoration to honor the four students who were killed, the nine students who were wounded and the countless others whose lives were forever changed when the Ohio National Guard fired on Kent State students during an anti-war protest. 

The Kent State University School of Music returns to Severance Music Center on Monday, May 2, at 7 p.m. featuring nearly 300 students from across the university performing a rich lineup of genres and styles from classical and jazz to gospel and world music. It will also feature collaborations with the School of Theatre and Dance and the Wick Poetry Center.

Roseann "Chic" Canfora, Ph.D., joined the School of Media and Journalism as a Professional-in-Residence this fall. She was also a student at Kent State, starting in 1968, and is a survivor of the May 4, 1970, shootings. 

Roseann “Chic” Canfora, Ph.D., is a Professional-in-Residence at Kent State University in the School of Media and Journalism, part of the College of Communication and Information. Prior to teaching at Kent State, Canfora served as the chief communications officer for the Cleveland Metropolitan School District and taught high school journalism and speech. Canfora was also a student at Kent State, starting in 1968, and is a survivor of the May 4, 1970, shootings at Kent State. She graduated with her master’s in journalism and public relations and bachelor’s in English/speech. She is heavily involved in activism as well.

Educators from across the country recently attended the weeklong, virtual 2021 Landmarks of American History and Culture workshop, “Making Meaning of May 4: The 1970 Kent State Shootings in U.S. History,” which has been made possible in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

New digital content for the May 4 augmented virtual reality experience is set to premiere to coincide with this year's commemoration.

Members of the Kent State University community and people around the world will gather virtually for the 51st Commemoration of May 4, 1970, the day the Ohio National Guard fired on Kent State students during an anti-war protest, killing four students and wounding nine other students.

To honor and remember the events that occurred on May 4, 1970, virtual events and exhibits hosted by Kent State University students, faculty and staff are scheduled from April 30 through May 4. The virtual events include several powerful speakers and events that promote peace and anti-racism and educate future students about the legacy of May 4, 1970.  

Kent State University has awarded the inaugural Alan Canfora Activism Scholarship to social justice activists and incoming Kent State students Kaedynce Kasiewicz, from McKinley High School in Niles, Ohio, and Chloe McCrone, from Memorial High School in Campbell, Ohio.

Members of the Kent State University community and people around the world will gather virtually for the 51st Commemoration of May 4, 1970, the day the Ohio National Guard fired on Kent State students during an anti-war protest, killing four students and wounding nine other students.