Kent State Shootings Remembrance 2024 in the United States

Each year on May 4, students, activists, and survivors gather at Kent State University in Ohio to mark the anniversary of the Kent State massacre in 1970.

Is Kent State Shootings Remembrance a Public Holiday?

Kent State Shootings Remembrance is not a public holiday. It falls on Saturday, May 4, 2024 and most businesses follow regular Saturday opening hours in United States.

What Do People Do?

The May 4 Task Force (M4TF), a student organization at Kent State University, organizes a number of commemorative events. These usually include discussions, speeches, concerts, and a candlelight march around campus. The activities are open to the general public.

Events are also held at the May 4 Visitors Center, which was opened in 2013.

Public Life

Kent State Shootings Remembrance Day is a local observance at Kent State University only. It is not an official holiday.

Background

On May 4, 1970, members of the Ohio National Guard shot and killed 4 students peacefully protesting against the United States' involvement in the Vietnam War. 9 students were wounded during the event. The perpetrators were never brought to justice.

John Paul Filo's Pulitzer Prize-winning photo of the incident is considered one of the historically most significant images of the era. It shows Mary Ann Vecchio kneeling over the body of one of the victims, Jeffrey Miller.

The incident had a great impact on the political atmosphere both in the U.S. and internationally, radicalizing the opposition to the military engagement in the Vietnam conflict. Following the event, about 8 million students took part in a national hunger strike, closing down hundreds of universities and schools across the United States.

The protests were triggered by a speech by U.S. President Nixon on April 30, 1970, in which he announced the extension of the war efforts to Cambodia.

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