May 4 Task Force

Parkland shooting survivor David Hogg speaks in the Kent Student Center Kiva.

David Hogg has turned tragedy into activism. He survived the shooting that took place on Feb. 14, 2018, at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, where 17 people died. Following the shooting, he and his high school classmates began March for Our Lives, a youth-led movement whose mission includes civic engagement, educat...

Douglas Scott McKenzie with Amy Reynolds and Todd Diacon at May 4 Commemoration 2023

Tears, hugs, happy reunions and solemn remembrance marked the 53rd Commemoration of May 4, 1970. Donald Scott Mackenzie (center), one of the nine students wounded in the tragedy, walks with Kent State University President Todd Diacon (right) and Amy Reynolds, dean of Kent State's College of Communication and Information (CCI).  Mac...

2023 May 4 Candlelight Vigil

A prayer was read in Hebrew at the B'nai B'rith Hillel Marker on the May 4 memorial site as part of the annual candlelight walk and vigil on May 3. The silent walk around campus begins each year at at 11 p.m. and takes about 60 minutes. Afterward, at midnight, the vigil begins as one person with a candle stands in the each of the four...

Avery Hall

Serving as the Chair of the May 4 Task Force has been something communication studies major Avery Hall, ’23, describes as one of the most impactful and rewarding experiences she’s had at Kent State University.   “May 4, 1970, is a living legacy at Kent State with relevant implications for students today. Continuing the legacy ...

The names of those killed on May 4, 1970, are displayed on the B’nai B’rith Hillel Marker in the parking lot of Prentice Hall on the campus of Kent State University.

A portion of Kent State University’s Kent Campus has taken its place alongside the nation’s most significant historic locations, joining such sites as the Grand Canyon National Park, Pearl Harbor and the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama. Those 17 acres represent the location of the historic events of May 4, 1970, where protesting ...

Portraits of the four students killed on May 4, 1970, sit on chairs on stage in the Kent Student Center Ballroom during the 47th Commemoration of May 4.

PLEASE NOTE: The noon commemoration will take place at the Kent Student Center Ballroom due to weather. Also, the 3:30 p.m. dedication of the National Historic Landmark has been moved indoors to the Kent Student Center Kiva. ————— A portion of Kent State University’s Kent Campus has taken its place alongside the nation’s most signifi...

A student stands vigil on the spot where one of four students was shot on May 4, 1970.

Kent State University held its 47th annual commemoration of May 4, 1970, with events taking place May 3 and 4. The annual commemoration, hosted by the May 4 Task Force, provides an opportunity for the university community to gather and remember those who were lost and injured during the tragedy and also reflect on what May 4 means today. ...

A Kent State University student stands vigil at the spot where Allison Krause was shot on May 4, 1970. Krause and three other students were killed during the May 4, 1970, shootings by Ohio National Guardsmen on the Kent State campus.

Updated 5/2/17 - Please note that the 47th annual commemoration on May 4 at noon has been moved to the Kent Student Center Ballroom due to the weather. Lecia Brooks of the Southern Poverty Law Center to serve as keynote speaker Kent State University holds its 47th annual commemoration of May 4, 1970, with events taking place May 3 an...

School of Peace & Conflict Studies

In "Top 10 Schools for History Buffs" in College Magazine, Kent State University is #4 on the list -- with a special mention of the School of Peace and Conflict Studies (then the Center for Applied Conflict Management) and the May 4 Task Force.   An SPCS major talks about her experience in our May 4 1970 and Its Af...

A Kent State student stands vigil at the spot where Allison Krause was shot on May 4, 1970.

Kent State University held its 46th annual commemoration of May 4, 1970, with events taking place April 26 through May 4. The annual commemoration, hosted by the May 4 Task Force, provided an opportunity for the university community to gather and remember those who were lost and injured during the tragedy and also reflect on what May 4 mea...