As it has every year since 1971, the annual candlelight walk and vigil brought the Kent State community together to mark the anniversary of May 4, 1970.
Participants gathered Sunday evening at the Kent State Commons, with the walk stepping off at 11 p.m.
The route, adjusted this year due to construction on Main Street, led to the Prentice Hall parking lot, where the vigil was held.
May 4, 1970, was a tragic day when the Ohio National Guard opened fire on Kent State students during an anti-war protest on campus, killing four students and wounding nine others. The day marked a pivotal moment in American history.
While reflecting on the past, Kent State also looks forward, recognizing the enduring impact of May 4 on the university today and its future.
The campus community and visitors will gather at noon on the May 4 site at the Kent State Commons to commemorate the moment that gunfire erupted 56 years ago. The commemoration will include a performance, feature remarks from university students and administrators, the ringing of the Victory Bell and a moment of silence at 12:24 p.m.
The commemoration remembers those killed – Allison Krause, Jeffrey Miller, Sandra Scheuer and William Schroeder – and those wounded – Alan Canfora, John Cleary, Thomas Grace, Dean Kahler, Joseph Lewis, Donald Mackenzie, James Russell, Robert Stamps and Douglas Wrentmore – on May 4, 1970.
Music on the Commons will precede the commemoration at 11 a.m.
The May 4 Commemoration will be .
