New London ― Local artist and activist Mike Alewitz will give a presentation on the 1970 Kent State student protest deaths at 4 p.m. on Saturday, at Red Square Gallery, 116 Federal St.

Saturday marks the 54th anniversary of the Kent State shootings, in which four students were killed and nine others wounded while protesting the Vietnam War.

Alewitz was a student at Kent State at the time and an eyewitness to the tragedy. The commemoration includes a slideshow and video presentation and will provide valuable insight into the current wave of campus protests.

Alewitz is a New London resident and professor emeritus of mural painting and street art at Central Connecticut State University.