The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
KSU-Geauga to mark 50th anniversary of May 4
During the late 1960s and early 1970s, Kent State University was known internationally for its student activism opposing U.S. military involvement in Vietnam and Cambodia.
This all culminated in an accelerated period of unrest in May 1970, when the Ohio National Guard was called onto campus to quell potential riots. Through a series of still-contested factors, the end result was that the National Guard opened fire on unarmed students on May 4, 1970, resulting in four deaths, nine others injured and questions that remain unanswered, 50 years later.
As a campus community in 2020, Kent State is pausing during this 50th-year commemoration to remember the events that led up to the May 4 shootings while honoring those who were killed and wounded, according to a news release.
These events are part of an effort to gain perspective and understanding as the university navigates a current period of political divisiveness through open dialogue and respectful civil discourse, the release stated.
The following are events planned by Kent State’s Geauga campus.
‘Historic Encounter: 50 years after May 4 Kent State’
March 18, noon to 1 p.m. at KSU Geauga’s Clark Commons
History Professor Molly Sergi will lead a lunch and learn discussion about the events leading up to May 4, 1970, with shooting survivor Roseann “Chic” Canfora, students, staff, faculty, and community members.
Canfora was one of 24 students indicted by an Ohio grand jury when it unsuccessfully attempted to place the blame for the shootings on Kent State students.
‘Fire in the Heartland’
March 19; 6 to 8 p.m. at Chagrin Cinema, 8200 E. Washington St. in Chagrin
Falls
The movie will be shown from 6 to 7:30 p.m. followed by a discussion until 8.
“Fire in the Heartland: Kent State, May 4, and Student Protest in America” is an award-winning documentary film by Daniel Miller. It focuses on a generation of young people, including Chic Canfora, who stood up against social injustice during the 1960s and 1970s.
Chic will conduct a discussion following the movie.
Remembering May 4: Residents of Geauga County reflect
April 16, 5:30 to 7 p.m. at Kent State Geauga’s Clark Commons
In a live presentation, a panel of Geauga County community members will share their firsthand accounts of that day on Kent Campus with moderator Dr. Bonnie Shaker, assistant professor of English.
‘May 4 Voices: Kent State, 1970’
April 28, 6:30 to 9 p.m. Appetizers will be served at 6:30 p.m. followed by the play from 7 to 8 and then a discussion with David Hassler from 8 to 9 at the Geauga Lyric Theater Guild, 101 Water St. in Chardon.
KSU Geauga is hosting a performance of this original theatrical presentation by the Geauga Lyric Theater Guild in commemoration of the May 4 events. Written by David Hassler and directed by Katherine Burke, the play is based on the Kent State Shootings Oral History Project, which includes more than 115 interviews that contain firstperson narratives and personal reactions to the events of May 4, 1970.
National Guardsmen, students, townspeople and politicians speak of the sense of trauma, confusion and fear felt by people who witnessed or were involved with the shootings.
May 4 panel discussion with Tom Grace
May 1, 7:30 to 9 a.m. GEL Breakfast — networking and light breakfast from 7:30 to 8 a.m. followed by the program from 8-9 at Clark Commons at KSU Geauga
Grace, a May 4 shooting victim and 1972 KSU grad, will share his personal side of history during this presentation. One of nine students who were wounded, he earned a Ph.D. in history from SUNY Buffalo after many years as a social worker and union representative.
He will have copies of his 2016 book, “Kent State: Death and Dissent in the Long Sixties,” on hand for sale.
Visit kent.edu/geauga for more information or to register for these events.