In two days, Kent State will, for the 37th time, commemorate and remember the events and the four victims of May 4, 1970.

When combined with the Symposium on Democracy, a number of speakers and forums will be held to discuss the issues of 37 years ago and how they relate to the present.

Tom Hayden, an important and well-known author from the Vietnam-era and an important member of Students for a Democratic Society; Cindy Sheehan, a well-known mother of a soldier killed in Iraq and an anti-Bush activist; and a few students who were here during the day that has left a sad mark on American history will all be on our campus during the next two days.

There is also time set aside to reflect on the meaning of May 4, as well as time to remember the recent tragedy at Virginia Tech.

Then, afterward, as always, a large number of students, and maybe faculty and community members, will march around the city “protesting” for civil rights, against the war, against President Bush – whatever.

Speaking of protesting the war, why not protest a few issues that might not be so much in the public eye but are still in need of major attention?

Just because genocide in Darfur may not directly affect Kent State students, it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be concerned.

Why don’t we stand up for things other than when a certain tragedy happens? Yes, it’s great to want to change things because of a war or a heinous shooting on a campus, but those aren’t the only problems facing the world, or America.

Let’s take a stand and fight against poverty, unemployment and pollution. Let’s work together to get drugs off the streets.

We need to keep demonstrating the importance of fixing these problems as well – every day. If we don’t, people will forget.

The problem isn’t that people are protesting. It’s great to see a group, a community, take a stand for something and try to change it. The problem is that these protests only happen on May 4.

Do you think that, in 1970, those students only protested on May 4?

No. They were speaking their minds every day, getting their points across through sit-ins and marches.

Some might say they protest on May 4 to remember the events of 1970. But wouldn’t it be better to reflect silently just that one day?

After all, we have 364 other days in the year to take a stand.

The above editorial is the consensus opinion of the Daily Kent Stater editorial board. Rachel Abbey did not contribute to this editorial.