Kent State shooting witnesses to present at Cook Series

As part of Cloud County Community College’s Cook Series, Roseann “Chic” Canfora and Thomas Grace will present a virtual program, “Lessons of the Kent State Shootings,” on Thursday, April 22. The event will be in Cloud County Community College’s Cook Theatre at 7 p.m.

The event is free and open to the public, but due to COVID-19 restrictions, there will be a limited number of free tickets distributed. Masks or face coverings will be required.

On May 4, 1970, four Kent State students were killed and nine injured when Ohio National Guardsmen fired on students at a protest against the U.S. incursion into Cambodia to disrupt supply lines and troop movements during the Vietnam War. Many Americans saw the action as an expansion of the war. May 4 is a day that changed both history and activism, creating a beacon of social justice and freedom of speech that continues to ignite the newest generation of citizens and activism. In a riveting 50th anniversary program, survivors share their first-hand accounts, their pursuit of justice in the aftermath, and how the legacy and lessons learned continue to influence the social justice movements of today.

Canfora was an eyewitness and survivor of the shootings at Kent State. A Kent 25 defendant, she was one of 24 students indicted by the Ohio Grand Jury, and later exonerated, for activism during a weekend of protests against the Vietnam War. She earned three degrees, including a Ph.D. at Kent State, where she teaches in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication today. She is a stalwart advocate for May 4 remembrance and for the importance of connecting the lessons of the anti-war movement to emerging movements today, including Black Lives Matter and March for Our Lives. 

Grace was wounded in the protests and after graduation went on to earn his Ph.D. in history at the University of Buffalo, teach, and author “Kent State: Death and Dissent in the Long Sixties.” His research on student activism traces its roots to the civil rights and labor movements.

This year marks the 29th year of the Charles and Marian Cook Series at Cloud County Community College. The Cooks were travelers who wanted to bring the world to those who could not travel themselves. More than 75 events have been presented through the sponsorship of the Cook Foundation and the Division of Humanities, Social Sciences and Business at Cloud. It was always Marian Cook’s wishes that all Cook Series events be free and open to the public, however, seating will be limited to 65 for this event. A limited number of free tickets are available by visiting www.cloud.edu/academics/cook series.

For more information, contact Brenton Phillips, dean of Humanities, Social Sciences and Business at Cloud, at 785.243.1435, ext. 244, or by email at bphillips@cloud.edu.