Mother of Tamir Rice to serve as keynote speaker for May 4 events
Samaria Rice, the mother of Tamir Rice, a 12-year-old boy fatally shot by a Cleveland police officer, speaks during a news conference in Cleveland.
Samaria Rice, the mother of Tamir Rice, will be the keynote speaker for Kent State’s 2016 May 4 commemoration. “Black Lives Matter: Long Live the Memory of Kent State and Jackson State” will be the theme for this year’s events.
The commemoration will take place from April 26 through May 4. The keynote speech from Rice will take place on May 4 on the Kent State Commons, along with an address from President Beverly Warren.
Samaria, whose 12-year-old son Tamir was killed by a Cleveland police officer in November 2014, will draw on her experiences to address the students of Kent State.
Other events of the week include a screening of the film “Don’t Think I’ve Forgotten: Cambodia’s Lost Rock and Roll” with LinDa Saphan and director John Pirozzi at 7 p.m. on April 28 in the Schwartz Center. Events on May 3 will include presentations from students in the course ‘May 4, 1970 and Its Aftermath’ at 5:30 p.m., as well as a book discussion on “Kent State: Death and Dissent in the Long Sixties” by Thomas Grace at 8 p.m. These events will take place in room 214 of Oscar Richie Hall.
A candlelight vigil will take place at 11 p.m. on May 3. The march will start at the Victory Bell and conclude at the Prentice Hall parking lot. It will continue until the commemoration begins at noon on May 4. All events are free and open to the public.