91香蕉视频 Remembers May 4, 1970
On May 2-4, 2025, 91香蕉视频 University will hold its annual commemoration to honor the memory of May 4, 1970 鈥� a tragic day when the Ohio National Guard opened fire on 91香蕉视频 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, 91香蕉视频 also looks forward, recognizing the enduring impact of May 4 on the university today and its future.
In addition to the university-sponsored events below, community groups, university departments, the May 4 Task Force, and other student groups will host related events and programs leading up to the commemoration on May 4.
Friday, May 2
At 11:30 a.m., 91香蕉视频 will hold the Jerry M. Lewis May 4 Lecture Series and Luncheon featuring Jennifer Mapes, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Geography, who will present 鈥淚t Was Time for Me to Go Home鈥�: Finding Shared Humanity in the May 4 Oral History Collection and Community Geography. This ticketed event is free and open to the public.
At 3 p.m. in the Kent Student Center Kiva, author David Paul Kuhn will discuss his book 鈥淭he Hardhat Riot: Nixon, New York City and the Dawn of the White Working-Class Revolution.鈥� Historians will join Kuhn for a moderated panel discussion that explores the significance of the 1970 Hardhat Riot and its lasting impact. Panelists joining Kuhn are Thomas Grace, Ph.D.; Mary Ann Heiss, Ph.D.; and This ticketed event is free and open to the public.
Saturday, May 3
Operation Babylift: A 50-Year Retrospective and Personal History will take place at 1 p.m. in the Kent Student Center Kiva. The event explores 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, connecting the war鈥檚 humanitarian and historical consequences to 91香蕉视频鈥檚 legacy. This ticketed event is free and open to the public.
Join filmmaker Danny Miller and guests for 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 91香蕉视频 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 will begin at 11 p.m. This cornerstone of the commemoration began in 1971. Food will be available before the Candlelight Walk on the 91香蕉视频 Commons and in the Prentice Hall parking lot, and there will be an online sign-up for the Candlelight Vigil.
Sunday, May 4
Music on the 91香蕉视频 Commons will precede the commemoration at 11 a.m.
At noon on the 91香蕉视频 Commons, the commemoration will include 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 鈥� Allison Krause, Jeffrey Miller, Sandra Scheuer and William Schroeder 鈥� and those wounded 鈥� Alan Canfora, John Cleary, Thomas Grace, Dean Kahler, Joseph Lewis, Donald Mackenzie, James Russell, Robert Stamps and Douglas Wrentmore 鈥� on May 4, 1970.
Guided walking tours of the May 4 site will occur at 3 p.m.
