Fire in the Heartland: Kent State, May 4th, and Student Protest in America

Admission is $5; Burchfield Penney members and students are free.

On May 4, 1970, National Guard troops opened fire on unarmed antiwar protesters at Kent State University in Ohio, killing four students and wounding nine others, including Buffalo history professor Dr. Thomas Grace. The shootings shocked the American public triggering a nationwide wave of campus strikes and protests. 

This compelling documentary examines anti-Vietnam War protests, racism, and violence perpetrated by the government at Kent State University. Fire in the Heartland: Kent State, May 4th, and Student Protest in America is the story of a generation of students who believed in the 1960s and 1970s that they were not being told the truth about racism, the violence of police and military against protestors, and the long American involvement in the Vietnam War; some paid for their questioning of authority with their lives and all were forever changed.

In its immediate aftermath, a student-led strike forced the temporary closure of colleges and universities across the country. Some political observers believe the events of that day in northeast Ohio tilted public opinion against the war and may have contributed to the downfall of President Richard Nixon.

A panel discussion moderated by Dr. Thomas M. Grace, one of the wounded survivors and author of Kent State: Death and Dissent in the Long Sixties, will follow. Panelists include SUNY Buffalo State history professor Dr. John Abromeit, and University at Buffalo history professors Dr. Gail Radford, and Dr. Michael Frisch, Emeritus. 

Copies of Dr. Grace's book will be available for purchase and signing, courtesy of Talking Leaves