She survived the 1970 Kent State shooting. Here's her message to student activists

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On May 4, 1970, the Ohio National Guard fired on Kent State students, killing four and wounding nine. A former student who now teaches there reflects on that day and offers lessons for protesters now.

Ohio National Guard members towards students at Kent State University in Kent, Ohio, on May 4, 1970. They fired into the crowd, killing four students and injuring nine.Ohio National Guard members towards students at Kent State University in Kent, Ohio, on May 4, 1970. They fired into the crowd, killing four students and injuring nine.

"They at least know that they don't want any famine and suffering and death done in their name," she says."And so it's inspiring to see them having similar conversations that we had, saying 'We don't like what we're seeing and we need to speak out against it.'"For weeks students have protested the war in Gaza — now things are escalating

Canfora was one of 25 people indicted in connection with the demonstration, and among the vast majority who were later exonerated."Those trials were eventually thrown out for lack of evidence that we had participated in a riot," she explains."Even though we were grateful that those indictments were thrown out ... we had lost our opportunity to tell the world what happened that day.

They arrived on Saturday night to find Kent State's wooden ROTC building on fire, burning to the ground. On Sunday, Canfora says students held a peaceful sit-on on campus, calling on the university president to get the National Guard off campus, to no avail. "I had an aunt that came into our home while my brother was still bandaged from his wound saying, 'You know, there was a sniper ,'" she says."It was very difficult for middle America to believe that American soldiers would turn their guns on American people without some provocation."Alan and Chic Canfora, among others, take place in a panel discussion during the 15th Annual May 4 Commemoration in 1985.

Kent State University President Todd Diacon told NPR that the importance of kindness, respect, free speech and civic dialogue are"baked into our DNA now," including in its statement of core values and the work of its School for Peace and Conflict Studies, founded in 1971. "I think a primary lesson from Kent State is you need to have local law enforcement in the lead if you're going to do something," he says.

 

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