Docs & Dialogue: Fire in the Heartland: The Kent State Story

Docs & Dialogue: Fire in the Heartland: The Kent State Story

Tuesday, April 28th, 1:00 p.m.

This documentary examines the events leading up to the May 4th, 1970, shooting of unarmed students by  the Ohio National Guard at Kent State University, which left four students dead and thirteen wounded.  Told through firsthand accounts, the film places the tragedy within the broader civil rights and anti– Vietnam War movements of the 1960s and 1970s.

The shootings sparked the largest student strike in U.S. history, spreading to more than 3,000 campuses  nationwide. Just ten days later, police killed two students at Jackson State College in Mississippi, an  event that received far less national attention. The film traces how years of organized activism, racial  injustice, opposition to the Vietnam War, and inflammatory political rhetoric created the conditions for  these acts of state violence.

Featuring more than twenty personal testimonies, Fire in the Heartland offers an intimate look at a pivotal  moment in American history and provides critical context as campus protests and state responses once  again shape national conversations. The film is 56 minutes, not rated, and made possible through  Kanopy. The program is free and open to the public.