Kent State Shootings
The Vocal Majority: 1969
The Vocal Majority: 1969 is an exhibit of the May 4 Visitors Center. The exhibit was created by Skylar Wrisley, designed by Ariel Bradford and Jennifer Goubeaux, and was temporarily on display in the May 4 Reflections Gallery in the Spring and Summer of 2023.
This exhibit is meant to complement Kent State's story of May 4, 1970 by presenting some of the preceding events in the Fall of 1969. While the Vocal Majority highlights the experiences of Kent State students, this story has national significance and massive participation in a series of the largest antiwar demonstrations in U.S. history. These experiences are captured in photos, newspaper articles, flyers, posters, and artifacts. The protest in the Fall Antiwar Offensive in 1969 can be used to better understand what prompted the following events in the Spring of 1970.
The May 4th Augmented Reality Experience
The May 4th augmented reality experience is designed to engage and immerse users as they journey through the events of May 4th, 1970 and reflect on its meaning for today. The experience invites users to view multiple perspectives of the Kent State shootings through the lens of augmented reality using historical imagery, audio, and related experiences that highlight past and current humanitarian struggles.
Mapping May 4
An interactive map of stories about what happened across Kent on May 4th, 1970 and the days leading up to it.
Global Peace Poem
A global community poem in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Kent State University’s May 4 shootings. We invite people from around the world to contribute a line or stanza to a Global Peace Poem titled “My Voice.”
Armed with Our Voices
In commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the May 4 tragedy, the Wick Poetry Center, with its partners, developed an interactive exhibit, encouraging visitors to explore the history of student protest and the timely themes of peace and conflict transformation.
Black Student Movements: Orangeburg, Kent and Jackson State
This exhibit was part of the May 4th 50th Commemoration Events at Kent State University. It focuses on student activism at three campuses: South Carolina State College (now University) in Orangeburg, South Carolina, Kent State University in Kent, Ohio, and Jackson State College (now University) in Jackson, Mississippi. Showcased in this exhibit is the activism of those Black students at all three campuses and images of the shootings which occurred there.
Keeping Kent Open
Immediately following the Kent State shootings, President Robert White ordered that the University close and an injunction was then granted to that effect. However, the faculty voted to complete their courses by any means necessary. This exhibit features legal documents, news clippings, letters, and oral histories surrounding the effort to keep Kent State open.
50 Years: Long Live the Memory: Civil Rights, Black Power, and Anti-War Actions: Orangeburg, Kent, and Jackson, 1960-1967
This exhibit highlights social activism occurring in and around three state universities during the years leading up to the shootings at South Carolina State (Orangeburg), Kent State (Ohio), and Jackson State (Mississippi). Showcased here are selected key events in each of the three institutions' immediate environments indicating a growing level of Civil Rights actions, anti-war protests, and the development of a Black Power movement occurring from 1960 through 1967.
The Truth Demands Justice: A Snapshot History of the May 4th Task Force
This exhibition features posters, flyers, and other items created by the May 4th Task Force, a student-run organization founded in 1975 to raise awareness among students, faculty, administrators, and the general public about the Kent State Shootings of May 4, 1970.
Campus Strike Papers: The Aftermath of May 4 1970
In the aftermath of the shootings of May 4, 1970, Kent State University Libraries sent letters to colleges and universities across the nation requesting campus strike newspapers and related documents to be archived for future research. This virtual exhibit highlights a selection of the responses that are found in the Campus Strike papers in Special Collections & Archives.