May 4 Commemoration

In accordance with the order of Amy Acton, M.D., director of Ohio Department of Health, to stay at home to slow the spread of COVID-19, and in the interest of the health and safety of the community, Kent State University regretfully announces cancellation of the May 4 50th Commemoration Weekend events, scheduled to take place May 1-4, 2020.

Kent State University has outlined planned events for the month of March related to the 50th commemoration of May 4. For the latest updates on events, visit www.kent.edu/may4kentstate50/event-schedule.

War photojournalist and author Ben Brody is bringing his work to Kent State through his exhibit, “A Second Moon.” The exhibit, curated by Moema Furtado, an installation artist and independent curator, runs from March 5-15 at the Crawford Gallery in the Center for Visual Arts.

Kent State University is proud to announce the May 4 50th Commemoration Benefit Concert featuring Joe Walsh (with Barnstorm – Joe Vitale and Kenny Passarelli) and David Crosby (with his touring band), two Rock & Roll Hall of Fame members with strong musical connections to the events of May 4, 1970.

Kent State University invites educators of students in grades 6-12 to apply by March 1 for its Landmarks of American History and Culture workshop, “Making Meaning of May 4: The 1970 Kent State Shootings in U.S. History.” Co-directors Laura Davis, Ph.D., Professor Emerita of English and former founding director of the May 4 Visitors Center, and Todd Hawley, Ph.D., associate professor of social studies teacher education, were awarded $170,000 in funding by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) to create this workshop.

After months of planning, Kent State University’s May 4 50th Commemoration Advisory Committee has released details of programs scheduled for the 50th Commemoration of the May 4, 1970, shootings at Kent State. The commemoration represents a significant milestone in the history and legacy of May 4, 1970.

Ten Kent State University students were awarded $1,000 each for their creative use of videos, podcasts and Adobe Spark® pages to reflect on the events of May 4, 1970, as part of the university’s Design Innovation Common Reading Challenge.