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 and wounding nine others.
Due to the global pandemic, this year’s May 4 Commemoration events again will be virtual.
To honor and remember the events that occurred on that tragic day, virtual programming hosted by Kent State students, faculty and staff is scheduled from April 30 through May 4. Programming will feature virtual screenings of “Fire in the Heartland: Kent State, May 4 and Student Protest in America,” panel discussions with special guest speakers, a keynote speech from Nobel Peace Prize winner Rigoberta Menchú Tum and a presentation from the student leaders of the May 4 Task Force.
View the full schedule of events on the May 4 Commemoration website.
The May 4 Candlelight Walk and Vigil first occurred in 1971 and is a cornerstone of the May 4 Commemoration. This year, the university will honor these traditions virtually. Details on how to participate in the virtual May 4 Candlelight vigil are posted at www.kent.edu/may-4-1970/virtual-candlelight-vigil and include three simple steps:
1. POST: Between now and May 4, 2021, post a photo of a lit candle, or of you holding a lit candle, to your Facebook, Twitter or Instagram account. If you can't take a photo, feel free to use the image supplied on the virtual candlelight vigil page. (Right click and "Save Image" to your computer to use this photo.)
2. TAG: Be sure to tag your post with #KentStateMay4.
3. SHARE: After you upload your photo, share your post and encourage your family and friends to participate.
For more information, visit the May 4 51st Commemoration website.
The virtual May 4 Commemoration will be a special video tribute premiering at noon Tuesday, May 4, on the May 4 51st Commemoration site. The video will focus on the nine wounded students: Alan Canfora, John Cleary, Thomas Grace, Dean Kahler, Joseph Lewis, Donald Mackenzie, James Russell, Robert Stamps and Douglas Wrentmore.
The video features nine new markers that have been installed on the May 4 site indicating where each of the wounded students was located when hit by gunfire. Watch the video on May 4 at noon here.