Kent State Remembers May 4, 1970
On May 2-4, 2025, Kent State University will hold its annual commemoration to honor the memory of May 4, 1970 – a tragic day when the Ohio National Guard opened fire on Kent State 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, Kent State 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., Kent State 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 “It Was Time for Me to Go Home”: Finding Shared Humanity in the May 4 Oral History Collection and Community Geography. This ticketed event is free and open to the public.
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At 3 p.m. in the Kent Student Center Kiva, author David Paul Kuhn will discuss his book “The Hardhat Riot: Nixon, New York City and the Dawn of the White Working-Class Revolution.” 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 Gregory Wilson, Ph.D. This ticketed event is free and open to the public. The event will also be livestreamed.
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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’s humanitarian and historical consequences to Kent State’s legacy. This ticketed event is free and open to the public.
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Join filmmaker Danny Miller and guests for a screening of Fire in the Heartland at 5 p.m. in the Kent Student Center Kiva. After the screening, the filmmaker will take questions from the audience.
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 Kent State 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 Kent State Commons will precede the commemoration at 11 a.m.
At noon on the Kent State 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 – Allison Krause, Jeffrey Miller, Sandra Scheuer and William Schroeder – and those wounded – Alan Canfora, John Cleary, Thomas Grace, Dean Kahler, Joseph Lewis, Donald Mackenzie, James Russell, Robert Stamps and Douglas Wrentmore – on May 4, 1970.
Guided walking tours of the May 4 site will occur at 3 p.m.