The shootings in Kent State may not  have the same impact today as it did during the Vietnam era. The frequency of police shooting unarmed African Americans, and the daily incidents of mass murder, many of which go unreported by national media, overshadow the shooting of four university students.  And it is always important to remember that shortly after Kent there was another shooting in Jackson State, which killed two African Americans who were inside their dorm room at the time, and frequently that shooting has never been given the same scrutiny as the Ohio shooting. However, its true that for many middle class university students  in the 70s the shootings at Kent State became a defining moment in their political beliefs and commitment to social justice causes for the next fifty years. I have known many union activists  and life long NDP supporters  who cite the outrage they felt over the events of  May 4, 1970 as influencing them to this day.