Members of the Kent State University community and the general public are asked to contribute to the development of the new May 4 Visitors Center at Kent State University by uploading pictures that show what people looked like, what they experienced and what they cared about in the 1960s.
On May 4, 1970, members of the Ohio National Guard fired at demonstrators, wounding 13 Kent State students, four of them fatally. Many consider May 4 one turning point in the course of the Vietnam War and the Nixon presidency. The 10-year legal battle that followed May 4 raised important Constitutional questions and set precedent in the U.S. Supreme Court. The event also led to reform in military policy.
The May 4 Visitors Center at Kent State will tell the May 4 story, set against the political and cultural changes of the 1960s. The center will be located in Taylor Hall, adjacent to the May 4 Memorial on the Kent Campus.
“Selected photos will be displayed in the May 4 Visitors Center’s first gallery, which sets the May 4 story in its time,” said Laura Davis, professor of English and faculty coordinator for May 4 initiatives at Kent State. “We’re looking for home photos taken between 1950 and 1970. We’d like to show people from all walks of life, engaging in their everyday lives in the ‘60s.”
Photos will be reviewed weekly, and a prize will be awarded for the favorite photo of the week. The winner will receive a T-shirt from the 40th commemoration of May 4, which was designed by a student. The deadline to submit photos is Wednesday, Dec. 21.
For guidelines and to upload a picture, visit www.kent.edu/about/history/may4/virtualtour/photos/.
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Photo Caption:
The May 4 Visitors Center at Kent State University will tell the May 4 story, set against the political and cultural changes of the 1960s. Selected photos submitted to the university will be displayed in the May 4 Visitors Center’s first gallery.
Media Contact:
Emily Vincent, evincen2@kent.edu, 330-672-8595