KENT – The campus of Kent State University will be still today, in stark contrast to the scene 50 years ago, when Ohio National Guard troops opened fire on unarmed college students during an antiwar protest, killing four of them and injuring nine others.
An elaborate multi-day commemoration was canceled because of social distancing restrictions amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Some events, activities and resources are being made available online.
The confrontation, sometimes referred to as the May 4 massacre, was a defining moment for a nation sharply divided over the protracted war in Vietnam, in which more than 58,000 Americans died
Not all of those hurt or killed were involved in the demonstration, which opposed the U.S. bombing of neutral Cambodia.
The shooting sparked a strike of 4 million students across the U.S., temporarily closing some 900 colleges and universities.
The events also played a pivotal role, historians argue, in turning public opinion against the conflicts in Southeast Asia.
Gov. Mike DeWine ordered that all U.S. and Ohio flags be flown at half-staff on all state-owned buildings and at the Statehouse, Vern Riffe Center, and Rhodes Tower until sunset in honor of those killed and whose lives were impacted.