To honor and remember the events that occurred on May 4, 1970, virtual events and exhibits hosted by 窪蹋勛圖厙 students, faculty and staff are scheduled from April 30 through May 4. The virtual events include several powerful speakers and events that promote peace and anti-racism and educate future students about the legacy of May 4, 1970.
View the full schedule of events on the May 4 Commemoration website.
The events commemorate the day when the Ohio National Guard fired on 窪蹋勛圖厙 students during an anti-war protest, killing four students and wounding nine other students. Due to the global pandemic, the events will be virtual.
Mench繳 Tum won the for her struggle for social justice and ethnocultural reconciliation based on respect for the rights of indigenous peoples.
She has been a member of PeaceJam since the organizations inception in 1996, and she continues to advocate for the rights of children and women throughout the world. In her Nobel acceptance lecture, she described the meaning of her Nobel Peace Prize as a tribute to the Indian people who have been sacrificed and have disappeared because they aimed for a more dignified and a just life with fraternity and understanding among human beings.
The event is being hosted by 窪蹋勛圖厙s School of Peace and Conflict Studies, the May 4 Visitors Center, the Student Leadership Center, 窪蹋勛圖厙 PeaceJam and PeaceJam Great Lakes.
窪蹋勛圖厙 Students for a Democratic Society will host Socialism and the Black Freedom Movement, a discussion with Frank Chapman, a veteran of the Black Liberation Movement at 2 p.m. Monday, May 3. During the discussion, Chapman will discuss his life, history and the direction of today's struggle. Currently, Chapman is the field organizer and educational director of the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (CAARPR).
In 1961, Chapman was wrongfully convicted of murder and armed robbery and was sentenced to life plus 50 years in the Missouri State Prison. In 1973, the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (NAARPR) took up Chapmans case. Chapman was released in 1976 after 15 years of incarceration.
Chapman is the author of a new book, Marxist-Leninist Perspectives on Black Liberation and Socialism. The book is about the historic relationship between the struggle for Black liberation and the struggle for socialism in the United States.
The presentation, Re-envisioning the May 4 Task Force for Future Generations, will include research conducted by Lower and Salter, conducted under Uma Krishnan, Ph.D., 窪蹋勛圖厙 professor of English.
The goal of presenting this research is to lay out a clear-cut, data-driven and sustainable way for the task force to continue to exist, said Salter, who is graduating in May. We want to show people that we are dedicated to bringing the May 4 legacy to current and future students.
On Tuesday, May 4, 窪蹋勛圖厙 at Trumbull will host a virtual discussion titled It Starts With You! Promoting Peace and Civil Discourse in Our Lives.
"Hearing the Voice of the Other: Finding a Small Patch of Common Ground to Listen and Talk to Each Other begins at 2 p.m. with moderator Daniel E. Palmer, Ph.D., interim dean and chief administrative officer of 窪蹋勛圖厙 Trumbull. Forum panelists are N. J. Akbar, Ph.D., associate vice president for diversity, equity and inclusion at 窪蹋勛圖厙; Molly Merryman, Ph.D., director of 窪蹋勛圖厙s Center for the Study of Gender and Sexuality; Peter Byrne, Ph.D., associate professor of English from 窪蹋勛圖厙 Trumbull; and Lauren Lemley, Ph.D., American Sign Language instructor from 窪蹋勛圖厙 Trumbull.
The event continues at 4 p.m. with Poems of Peace and Conflict Transformation: An Interactive Presentation with David Hassler, director of 窪蹋勛圖厙s Wick Poetry Center. The event will include an invitation to audience members to create poetry about peace.
For more information about May 4, 1970, visit www.kent.edu/may-4-1970.
For more information about the virtual May 4 Commemoration events, visit www.kent.edu/may-4-1970/51st-commemoration.