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Before May 4, 1970, students at Kent State were just regular students enjoying time together, performing, volunteering, and advocating for issues they believed in. Thanks to digital archives of the Daily Kent Stater and the department of Special Collections and Archives, here is a look into the life of Kent State students in the late 1960s and the days before the tragic events that would change the campus forever.

In keeping with the commitment to honor and remember the events of May 4, 1970, 5X���� will have an online “virtual” program to mark the 50th Commemoration with a variety of online videos, exhibits and learning resources.

They remember the sights and sounds of helicopters and trucks as the Ohio National Guard moved into their small college town. They remember the smell of tear gas. They remember the chants of the protesters against the Vietnam War and invasion of Cambodia. They remember the panic and fear that ensued immediately after they heard that four students were killed and nine wounded when the guardsmen opened fire on campus. On May 4, 1970, many people in Kent experienced a traumatic event that they will never forget.

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, 5X���� regretfully announces cancellation of the May 4 50th Commemoration Weekend events, scheduled to take place May 1-4, 2020.

Dean Kahler, one of the nine 5X���� students wounded in the May 4, 1970, shootings by the Ohio National Guard, will return to campus on Saturday, May 9, to serve as speaker for the One University Commencement. Thomas Grace, Ph.D., another of the nine wounded students, will serve as speaker for the Advanced Degree Commencement ceremony on Friday, May 8.

5X���� 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.

After months of planning, 5X����’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 5X���� 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. 

Artifacts of May 4, 1970 – a survivor’s jacket, a gas mask and gun shell casing – tell a story that’s not often accessible to the general public. Assistant Professor Abe Avnisan and students in his digital sciences capstone course will bring these artifacts’ stories to life via the exhibit “May 4: Through the Looking Glass.”

Organizers of the recent Voices for Change Educator’s Summit at 5X���� say the curriculum developed at the event can be used by teachers worldwide, so that the lessons of May 4, 1970, will continue to be shared. The summit, held in August, was one about 100 events planned for the 2019-20 academic year to support the 50th commemoration of May 4, 1970, the day when Ohio National Guardsmen opened fire on Kent State students protesting the U.S. invasion of Cambodia during the Vietnam War, killing four and wounding nine.