#OTD Dorothy Fuldheim asked, "Since when do we shoot our own children?"
Dana Rubin
Empowering a speak-out culture. Strong Voice | Strong World ?? speaking ?? workshops???consulting
On this day in 1970, four students were killed at Kent State University while peacefully protesting the Vietnam War. Nine more were wounded — all shot by the Ohio National Guard.?
On that dark day in American history, one woman used her public voice to protest.
Dorothy Fuldheim was a news anchor at WEWS-TV,?Cleveland’s "First Lady of the Airwaves.”?She was the first woman to anchor a nightly news program in the US.
Her scathing words on that evening’s broadcast came pouring out, without a script.
"What prompted the National Guard to shoot? And who gave the National Guard the bullets? Who ordered the use of them?"
"What prompted the National Guard to shoot?" she asked. "And who gave the National Guard the bullets? Who ordered the use of them? Since when do we shoot our own children? Ask the parents of these young people how they feel. When will their anguish be over?"
The piece?ended with Fuldheim openly weeping.?
Afterwards the station was flooded with calls and letters of protest, by the hundreds. Nearly all were offended by Fuldheim's outrage and emotion.
"Why are you sorry for those deaths?" wrote one. "Too bad the National Guard didn't kill more."
“Those good-for-nothing bums, smart alecks,” said another. "It’s about time someone put them in their place. Good for the?National Guard.”
So intense was the barrage of criticism that Fuldheim offered to resign — but the station manager wouldn't let her.
The Kent State shootings led to protests on college campuses across the country. Five days later, 100,000 people demonstrated in Washington DC against the war and the killing of unarmed student protesters.
In the end, no criminal convictions were ever obtained against any National Guardsman.
You can?find an excerpt of Fuldheim's searing commentary on the?Speaking While Female Speech Bank , the world’s?largest online collection of women’s speeches from around the world and across time.
Go to ?????#SpeakingWhileFemale ?and hit "Follow" to discover all my posts on?#womenleaders ?#publicspeaking ?#thoughtleadership ?#womenempoweringwomen
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My name is Dana Rubin, and I help women put their ideas into the world powerfully and persuasively. I’m the founder of?The Speaking While Female Speech Bank , and the editor of the forthcoming?"Speaking While Female: 50?Extraordinary?Speeches by American Women"?(Real Clear | Winter 2022).
I'm opening up a discussion about the role of women’s public speech in history and invite you to take part. We need to hear the best ideas from everyone to address our toughest problems — so let's improve this world together.
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Political Operative, Researcher, Sociologist, Speaker & Life Coach
2 年Dana OMG I was raised in Cleveland Ohio and I remember my Mother praising Dorothy! I forgot how influential she probably was to my formative activism and sentiments for social Justice.
Senior Vice President, Research and Development Solutions, Inc.
2 年Great woman...remember her well during my youth growing up in Cleveland. Also remember that horrible day in May, 1970.
?? I walk the talk ?? Founder and CEO of Biofeed & Dream Valley, Chairman of IBMA ?? Influencer ?? Keynote speaker & Opinion leader ?? Investor, Entrepreneur, Scholar, Father, Husband, Visionary, and a Mentor??
2 年It was one of the darkest days in American and democratic nations' history!