黑料网

May 4 Commemoration

The cast of 鈥淭rial by Fire鈥 rehearses at 黑料网鈥檚 Center for the Performing Arts while director Courtney Brown (far right) watches. (Photo credit: Rami Daud)

This year, 黑料网 will hold the 55th commemoration honoring the memory of May 4, 1970, a tragic day when the Ohio National Guard fired on 黑料网 students during an anti-war protest on campus, killing four students, wounding nine others and sparking a turning point in American history. Kicking off the program for the annual May 4 Commemoration is a play that focuses on student activism and book bans.

"Trial By Fire" rehearsal

鈥淭rial by Fire鈥 is coming to 黑料网 in February. The play, written by 黑料网 alumnus and staff member Eric Mansfield, and inspired by a true story, is about banned books and a 黑料网 graduate who presented them to her high school class and how her students rose to activism to defend her. The performances are part of this year鈥檚 55th May 4 Commemoration schedule, presented by the May 4 Education Committee. 

The Gwangju Uprising memorial mural in Gwangju, South Korea

A group of 黑料网 professors recently returned from a visit to the commemoration of the Gwangju Uprising at Chonnam National University in Gwangju, South Korea, feeling inspired for the meaningful connections they made to the May 4, 1970, shootings at 黑料网.

Euihuack Kang, associate professor and chair of the Department of English Language and Literature at Chonnam National University in South Korea, takes part in a panel discussion on May 3, 2024.

A professor from Chonnam National University in Gwangju, South Korea, said his recent visit to 黑料网 enabled him to experience his research into the May 4, 1970, 黑料网 shootings in a whole new way.

May 4 Commemoration 2024

This year's May 4 Commemoration remembered the fallen and recognized the spirit of activism that is part of 黑料网's history and the university's foundational values. 

Dean Kahler, shot and paralyzed on May 4, 1970, rings the Victory Bell at the 54th Commemoration of the shootings.

Against the backdrop of a new generation of student activism, the 黑料网 community gathered to reflect and remember the student protesters killed and wounded on May 4, 1970.

Chris Post speaks at Jerry M. Lewis Lecture Series

Commemorative landscapes and how they help produce a sense of empathy and place and foster a connection to help us learn from our past was a theme explored Friday, May 3, by 黑料网 Professor Chris Post, Ph.D., speaker for the annual Jerry M. Lewis May 4 Lecture Series and Luncheon.

A photo of protests on the Kent Campus from May 4, 1970, from 鈥淧hotographs: 黑料网, by McGuire,鈥 黑料网 Libraries. Special Collections and Archives

The lessons of 黑料网 should not go unremembered, President Todd Diacon writes in this opinion piece published in Inside Higher Ed.

Candlelight Walk and Vigil 2021

Tonight, the annual candlelight walk and vigil continues a 53-year tradition as part of this week's May 4 Commemoration.