April 20, 2010: Senator Brown and Congressman Ryan Introduce Resolutions to Commemorate 40th Anniversary of the Tragedy at Kent State University

WASHINGTON D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) introduced a Senate resolution and U.S. Congressman Tim Ryan (OH-17) introduced a companion House resolution with U.S. Congressman Alan Grayson (FL-08) to mark the 40th anniversary of the tragic anti-war protest in which four students at Kent State University were killed.  On May 4, 2010, KSU will officially commemorate the lives of those students who were shot and killed – Allison Krause, Jeffrey Miller, Sandra Scheuer, and William Schroeder – as well as the nine students who were wounded – Alan Canfora, John Cleary, Thomas Grace, Dean Kahler, Joseph Lewis, Donald Mackenzie, James Russell, Robert Stamps, and Douglas Wrentmore.

“We should never forget the tragedy at Kent State,” said Senator Brown. “Our duty to those fallen students is to remember what they were fighting for -- exercising their First Amendment rights to assemble and express their opposition to a misguided war.  We must protect these rights as we protect the memory of these students.”

Congressman Ryan added, “40 years ago, Kent State University was the scene of a tragedy that shook the social conscience of our nation.  It is important that we recognize this day in history – for the lives that were lost, those that were wounded, and for the contribution these events provided in protecting the civil rights and liberties of American citizens.”

The resolutions also applaud the recent designation of the site of the shootings by the National Register of Historic Places and recognizes the efforts of Kent State University officials to preserve the memory of the site.   On May 3, 2010, Congressman Ryan will join Congressman John Lewis at KSU to commemorate the event.

Information about other activities related to the May 4 anniversary can be found at the Kent State University website: https://may4newsroom.kent.edu/.

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