Yellow lights shone brightly in the night as students and community members walked around campus for the May 4 annual candlelight walk and vigil. 

The walk started at 11 p.m. at the Student Commons and continued on a set route through campus until midnight, when participants met back in the Taylor Hall parking lot for the start of the vigil. 

Sophia Swengel, a sophomore history major and chair of the May 4 Task Force in charge of the annual vigil, led the candlelight walk May 3. 

“It’s a symbolic way of showing how we at Kent State keep that flame alive for the four students who died here in 1970,” Swengel said. “The students’ memory and everything that May 4 stands for is really relevant to students today especially with all the student protests happening around the country right now.”

Swengel said it is important people remember their right to freedom of speech and their right to assemble. 

“It’s important that we keep those memories alive and keep current students aware of that history because it surrounds us everyday on campus,” Swengel said. 

About 120 people participated in the walk and vigil. Elizabeth Angione, a sophomore history major, was one of the participants who had a special connection to the events on May 4. 

“It’s not only a significant day for me as a Kent State student and history major but also for my family,” Angione said. “My aunt was one of the witnesses here for May 4, and she has since passed, but I feel like it is still important to honor her memory and what she experienced.”

Angione said coming on the walk is a solemn time, but it helps her to reflect on what she is grateful for and also what needs to be improved for the future. 

“I believe that in order to build a better future we need to look at our past,” Angione said. “The events of May 4 should never repeat themselves and by honoring that and making sure we keep the memory alive, we also make sure that we build a better future for our college students of the present.”

The candles stayed lit throughout the night until noon on Saturday when the commemoration began. 

Aidan Tobin, a freshman political science major, came to the candlelight walk because he wanted to commemorate the students and show his support for those who passed away. 

“They were students just like us,” Tobin said. “We as students today have a responsibility to carry on their will, so it’s important to show up for what they lost and keep showing up in the future for what we stand to gain.”

Adrianna Quinlan is a reporter. Contact her at [email protected]