May 4 Commemoration
Annual Candlelight Walk and Vigil Marks May 4
Despite rain, Kent State University continued its commemoration to honor the memory of May 4, 1970 with the annual candlelight walk and vigil on campus. This cornerstone of the commemoration began in 1971. Participants carried candles as they gathered on the Kent State Commons and in the Prentice Hall parking lot.
Kent State Remembers May 4, 1970, With 55th Commemoration
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.
MEDIA ADVISORY: Kent State Remembers May 4, 1970, With 55th Commemoration
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.
ToddCast Episode 3: Jerry M. Lewis
Join us on the Kent State ToddCast as President Todd Diacon revisits a conversation with Professor Emeritus Jerry M. Lewis, Ph.D.
Hoping Tragic History Will Never Repeat Itself
A group of Emerson College students in Boston, who are enrolled in Gregory Payne’s course about the Kent State and Jackson State tragedies will visit Kent State on May 2-4, when the university holds its annual commemoration.
Students Guiding the History of Kent State
The May 4 Visitors Center uses Kent State University’s history to help guide the community in understanding the past and applying it to the present. Tours conducted by student guides are a rich part of this process.
What Does Peace Look Like?
It may seem like a simple question: What does peace look like?
But the answers can be profoundly different depending on who is asked.
‘We All Have an Origin Story’
As part of Kent State’s 55-Year Commemoration of May 4, 1970, Mahli Mechenbier, a senior lecturer at Kent State University at Geauga's Twinsburg Academic Center will present “Operation: Babylift: A 50-Year Retrospective and Personal History” on May 3 at 1 p.m. with her father, retired Maj. General Ed Mechenbier. Mahli Mechenbier was one of the children from Vietnam the U.S. Government brought to the United States for adoption by American families by after Saigon was overun by advancing Viet Cong troops in 1972.
POV: Embracing May 4 Oral Histories Is ‘Absolute Privilege’
POV shares insights from the Kent State University community on important topics. Jennifer Mapes, assistant professor of Geography, will deliver this year's address for the Jerry M. Lewis May 4 Lecture Series.
Kent State Honors the Legacy of May 4, 1970, With 55th Commemoration
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.