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SUNY Plattsburgh Holds Annual Kent State-Jackson State Commemoration

On May 4, 1970, Ohio National Guard troops opened fire on students protesting the Vietnam War at Kent State University, killing four people and wounding nine.  Eleven days later, two students were killed and 12 injured when city and state police opened fire during a protest at Jackson State College.  SUNY Plattsburgh is among a few colleges that annually commemorates those events.
Early Thursday afternoon, about two dozen people gathered at a towering pine tree on the SUNY Plattsburgh campus. Planted 46 years ago, it shelters a memorial to the victims of Kent and Jackson State colleges.

Student Association President sophomore Michael Kimmer says many students today don’t realize what happened in 1970, even though the events on the two campuses have unsettling implications for rights and freedoms even today.  “The right to peaceably assemble is one aspect of the Bill Of Rights, and of the Constitution as a whole, that is not up for debate nor should it ever be.  But this undeniable right was violently trampled upon during the events that transpired at both Kent State and Jackson State Universities a mere 46 years ago. This ceremony should serve as a stark reminder that sometimes our rights are not always guaranteed. The four students at Kent State and the two students at Jackson State died to defend this right, even if they were not aware that they even risked doing so. Those who forget history are doomed to repeat it, or so the saying goes, and we must keep the memory of these incidents alive so that history dare not repeat itself.”

Senior Adam Saccardi has researched the era. He described how the Plattsburgh campus and community came together in the wake of Kent and Jackson State.   “It is fitting that we are the only institution still remembering this event because our response 46 years ago was quite unique. Kent State was a tragedy which we could not ignore and for the first time the students quite literally took to the streets in protest. They occupied the grounds of the federal building before proceeding to the steps of City Hall. The students were peaceful and the police who followed them respected that. Following this one night of protest the Student Association put together a 1700 person march to the Plattsburgh Air Force Base. Now the key thing about this is not only was the Student Association president leading that column of students, but so too was the president of the college and the mayor of Plattsburgh.”

Michael Cashman graduated from SUNY Plattsburgh and then worked on the campus before being elected Town of Plattsburgh Supervisor in November.  He has attended the commemoration for over 16 years, since he was an undergraduate.   “It's an important commitment to renew our understanding of an n important historical moment such as this. I certainly was not alive when this occurred. But just like September 11th becomes one of those historical markers. And I think it is a demonstration of SUNY Plattsburgh’s, as well as the greater Plattsburgh region's, commitment to rallying around the significance of these historical moments in time and coming together as a community to share stories. But also a willingness to make sure that we do our best not to repeat the tragedies of the past.”

Kent State held its annual commemorationat noon Wednesday.

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