*For media planning purposes, is providing this monthly email that outlines all planned events for the upcoming month related to the 50th commemoration of May 4. For the latest updates on events, visit www.kent.edu/may4kentstate50/event-schedule.
‘Hair’ – The Musical (Nov. 1-10, Center for the Performing Arts)
’s School of Theatre and Dance continues its 2019-2020 season with the iconic Tony Award-winning tribal rock musical “Hair.” The production pays special respect to May 4, 1970, and was also performed at Kent State for the 25th commemoration.
1970 Kent State ROTC Remembers the May 4 Tragedy, Cadet William Schroeder and the May 2 ROTC Building Fire (Nov. 7, Kent Student Center Kiva)
This program will bring together a panel of former ROTC members to recount and discuss their personal experiences related to May 4, 1970, including the burning of the ROTC building and the loss of ROTC cadet William Knox Schroeder.
Inspiring Activism: Past, Present and Future (Nov. 14, 5:30 p.m., Kent Student Center Kiva)
The May 4th Task Force hosts a panel discussion with Mackenzie Burchett, president of the student organization Planned Parenthood Advocates of Kent; Erin Dickinson, representative from Moms Demand Action; and other guest speakers.
Resentment and Power: On the Social Dynamics of Blame (Nov. 14, 7:30 p.m., Kent Student Center Kiva)
In this public lecture, guest speaker R. Jay Wallace, Ph.D., will argue that the reactive attitudes associated with moral accountability, such as anger, resentment and indignation, involve forms of social power and will consider the implications for the understanding and assessment of reactive blame. Wallace holds the Judy Chandler Webb Distinguished Chair in Philosophy at the University of California, Berkeley. His visit to Kent State is part of the Phi Beta Kappa Visiting Scholar Program and is hosted by the Kent State Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa (Nu of Ohio) and the Department of Philosophy.
May 4 Speaker Series: Mitch Landrieu, Former Mayor of New Orleans (Nov. 19, Kent Student Center Ballroom)
Mitch Landrieu, the New Orleans mayor who oversaw the removal of the city’s prominent Confederate monuments and helped his city to recover and reemerge from a series of natural disasters, will speak as part of Kent State’s May 4 Speaker Series. Landrieu’s 2017 speech, delivered in conjunction with the removal of the last of the four monuments, continues to earn praise for its honesty in confronting the truth about the past in order to chart a new path forward. May 4 Speaker Series events are free and open to the public. However, a ticket is required for admission. For free tickets and event information, visit .
Voices of May 4 Speaking Tour (Nov. 22, Austin Convention Center in Austin, Texas)
A panel discussion will feature Alan Canfora, Tom Grace and Roseann “Chic” Canfora. Both Alan and Tom were wounded on May 4, 1970, and Roseann was a witness. The three will share their stories and thoughts about that day and the state of student activism with the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS). This is the largest annual gathering of K-12 social studies classroom teachers, college and university faculty members, curriculum designers and specialists, district and state social studies supervisors, international educators and social studies discipline leaders.
Media Contacts:
Eric Mansfield, emansfie@kent.edu, 330-672-2797
Emily Vincent, evincen2@kent.edu, 330-672-8595
May 4, 50th Commemoration Project Manager:
Rod Flauhaus, rflauha1@kent.edu, 330-672-2423