9 Comments

Born 1962, in Cincinnati, Ohio. Mom was infuriated about what happened at Kent State . Made sure we knew the truth, even though we were children. Here’s your background music for this excellent piece. “Four Dead in Ohio”. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCS-g3HwXdc

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I'd heard about Kent State, but I don't recall learning about Jackson State.

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It's overshadowed for a number of reasons -- Kent State came first, had a higher death count, and had iconic moments like the famous photo ... but also, I think, racism is a factor as shootings of black students didn't/doesn't spark as much rage as white ones.

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I was leaning heavily towards racism. Sadly.

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That's the absolute truth. Thanks for the history lesson.

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I am ever grateful i signed up to your account. As a non-American I learn so much from each of your articles. There really is a lot for people around the world to learn. And hopefully not repeat.

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Thanks for the kind words.

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I am old enough to remember Kent State. I have two kids -- one just finished a Ph.D. and the other is a college senior. My husband and both kids are Jewish in ancestry, not practice. I had a long conversation with both of them in the past few days. My daughter has been active in protests against the Israeli actions in Gaza. She tells me that the protests have turned more ugly because of outside agitation, not by the actions of students. Antisemites outside the university community have hijacked and agitated the environment. My son is not an activist, but wondering if having a very Jewish last name makes him a target. All of our family are critics of the current Israeli government, but strong supporters of Israel's right o be a safe landing place for Jews all over the world. I worry about my kids being caught in the crossfire, always, but never more than the last few weeks. My son has just a couple weeks left till commencement, and my daughter lives off campus, but it's still a terrible situation. And loudmouths like Tom Cotton aren't helping anyone find a solution on campuses, in Gaza or in Israel.

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I wonder if there’s a historical piece that was a good way to handle protests? I know Yale had some guidelines. We could all use some direction these days.

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