Kent State May 4 50th
Commemoration Weekend Events Canceled in Response to COVID-19
Virus
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, Kent State University regretfully announces cancellation of the May 4
50th Commemoration Weekend events, scheduled to take place May 1-4, 2020.
A meaningful virtual May 4
Commemoration program is under development, and details will be announced at a
later time. This online program will honor and remember Allison Krause, Jeffrey
Miller, Sandra Scheuer and William Schroeder who were killed and nine other Kent
State students who were wounded on May 4,
1970, when the Ohio National Guard fired on students during an anti-war
protest.
This action comes as a
great disappointment to so many who have looked forward to this milestone
weekend and who have worked tirelessly to make this event happen,†said Kent
State President Todd Diacon. However, the health, safety and well-being of
everyone is our first priority.â€
Diacon noted that the
planning process itself has provided a firm foundation for future commemorations
and ongoing educational efforts. For the first time, Kent State administrators,
students and faculty, along with May 4 survivors and family members, united
around a commitment to jointly plan a commemoration. The collaboration of groups
previously divided on May 4 issues personifies a spirit of unity and
reconciliation that has become an integral part of the history and legacy of the
Kent State shootings.
The university urges members
of the public to follow travel restrictions and other measures adopted to reduce
the spread of COVID-19 during this crucial time. Therefore, for the safety of
all, and to comply with restrictions on public gatherings indoors and outdoors,
the university asks visitors to reschedule their plans, visiting the May 4
National Historic Landmark site only after the national public health emergency
has passed and the university has resumed on-campus
operations.
For latest information, check https://www.kent.edu/may4kentstate50
Jackson State May 14-15 50th Anniversary Events Canceled
Today, the Margaret Walker Center learned that, due to COVID-19, all events
at Jackson State have been cancelled through May 15.
That includes our plans for the 50th commemoration of the Gibbs-Green
tragedy when city police and highway patrolmen marched on our campus, firing 400
rounds of ammunition into a women's dormitory in 28 seconds, killing Phillip
Gibbs and James Green, wounding 12 others with their wanton gunfire, and
injuring hundreds of others physically and psychologically.
While our public events will not be held, the MWC is committed to
commemorating the tragedy and lifting up the lives of those who have had to live
with the legacy of that night for the past 50 years. We will begin planning for
unique, meaningful ways to do so, including through online resources and social
media.
In the meantime, we take heed of the words
of our founder, Margaret Walker, in 1972, two years after the shootings.
"The events of May 1970 which we remember today
were happenings of far greater significance and of wider scope than man of us
supposed at that time....
Although it may be small comfort now either to
the bereaved families or to their friends and comrades of all concerned, we must
recall those painful hours and re-examine what happened here and know why we
must never forget those martyred men nor misunderstand the significance of the
trouble then if we would understand our lives today and what is happening to us
now....
I challenge you to remember what happened on this
campus two years ago. Remember and think again. Ask yourself - and remember.
On pain of your own death - do not dare to forget."
