On the annual commemoration honoring the four students who were killed by the National Guard on May 4, 1970, at Kent State University in Ohio, hundreds of pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathered to protest the war in Gaza. The activists stood in a semicircle around a stage where speakers were honoring the events of May 4, 1970, when the National Guard opened fire on students protesting against U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War, resulting in the death of four students and injuries to several others. The campus still bears the scars of the 1970 shooting, with illuminated columns marking the spots where students were killed, and the event immortalized in the song “Ohio” by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.
Sophia Swengel, a sophomore and president of the May 4 Task Force, acknowledged the protesters in her speech on Saturday, recognizing their efforts to call on the university to divest from weapons manufacturers and military contractors. She highlighted the parallels between the current protests against Israel’s assault on Gaza and the student protests against the Vietnam War in the 1960s. Student demands in 1970 included abolishing the R.O.T.C. program, ending ties with police training programs, and halting the research and development of technologies used in warfare. Today, students at Kent State are urging the university to divest its portfolio of instruments of war.
During a meeting with university officials, including Mark Polatajko, senior vice president for finance and administration, student activists raised concerns about the university’s investments in weapons manufacturers. While Kent State cannot end the war in Gaza, they can control their own investment portfolio, according to Camille Tinnin, a Ph.D. student, and Yaseen Shaikh, a member of Students for Justice in Palestine. The university’s investment choices are within its control, and divestiture from weapons manufacturers is seen as a step towards aligning with the values of student protesters against war and violence.
In a nod to national student demonstrations against the war in Gaza, Sophia Swengel emphasized the importance of student activism and protests to stand up against genocide and fight for their beliefs. She highlighted how encampments and demonstrations serve as living monuments of students’ willingness to speak out and take a stand against injustice. The university’s spokeswoman, Rebecca Murphy, affirmed the institution’s commitment to upholding the First Amendment rights of free speech and peaceful assembly for all, encouraging open dialogue and respectful civil discourse in an inclusive environment. The protests at Kent State University serve as a reminder of the ongoing struggles for justice and peace on college campuses across the country.
