Why Marvin Gaye's Music Is So Different From Beatles ?

Kent State University's annual May 4 commemoration begins with discussion of music and war

The May 4 Visitors Center at Kent State University has scheduled several events for the 45th commemoration of May 4, 1970 when four students were killed and nine wounded by the Ohio National Guard. (Lynn Ischay, The Plain Dealer)

KENT, Ohio - A multimedia presentation on musician Marvin Gaye's reaction to the Vietnam War is the first of several events scheduled to commemorate the 45th anniversary of the May 4 shootings at Kent State University.

"What's Going On: Marvin Gaye, Vietnam and the Rise of Political Soul" is to be presented by Lauren Onkey, vice president of education and public programs for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum at 7 p.m. Monday, March 30 in the Kent Student Center Kiva.
It is part of the May 4 Visitor's Center's month-long series commemorating May 4, 1970, when members of the Ohio National Guard fired into a crowd of demonstrators, killing four and wounding nine.
 
"Marvin Gaye's 1971 'What's Going On' album was written as a response to his brother's experience in the Vietnam War and the declining conditions in U.S. cities," Onkey said in a release. "It was a breakthrough for Motown's response to political and social issues, and inspired other soul artists to write about the impact of the war and its impact at home. He specifically referenced the Kent State shootings as a catalyst to the change in his writing at the time."
 All events are free and open to the public. Other events include:

•    April 6 at 7 p.m. in the Wick Poetry Center: "Overcoming Trauma Through Creative Writing," a discussion led by David Hassler, director of Kent State's Wick Poetry Center, and Mindy Farmer, director of the May 4 Visitors Center.

•    April 9 at 7:30 p.m. in the Schwartz Center, Room 177: "The Legacy of Matthew Shepard: Learn How One Mother Used Her Grief to Make a Difference," a presentation by Judy Shepard. Tickets are required and available at kent.edu/May4. 

•    April 16 at 7 p.m. in Taylor Hall, Room 146: "The Future of May 4," presented by Farmer.

•    April 30 at 7:30 p.m. in Schwartz Center, Room 177: A special showing of the movie Dick Cavett's Vietnam and a discussion with documentary filmmaker John Scheinfeld and Timothy Naftali, the head of Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives at New York University and former director of the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum.

Events on May 3 and 4, which are planned by the May 4 Task Force, a student organization, will be announced next month. Information will be at m4tf.org.