| WAUKESHA – Judy Shepard, mother of brutally murdered Matthew Shepard, will speak at the University of Wisconsin-Waukesha on Wednesday, January 31, at 7:30 p.m. in the Lunt-Fonanne Theatre. General admission is $10.00, students $5.00.
Awakened by a phone call in the middle of the night on October 8, 1998, Judy and Dennis Shepard learned that their eldest son had been beaten into a coma. Immediately, they flew back from Saudi Arabia, where Dennis was working, to Fort Collins, CO, where Matthew lay in a hospital bed. Matthew died October 12.
His story has raised hackles and awareness. A student at the university, he had been picked as the victim because he was small and gay. He also had a record of fighting for social justice. In his memory, Judy and Dennis have formed the Matthew Shepard Foundation.
Judy Shepard has taken her grief public, becoming an activist championing the causes her son believed in. She has testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee on hate crimes, has appeared in Human Rights Campaign TV spots, and gotten involved with Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG).
Now she travels the country speaking on the prevention of hate crimes and on January 31 will address “The Legacy of Matthew Shepard.” She wants to wipe out the need for special concern over the safety of children who are different than most of their peers. The mother of Matthew Shepard says, “I loved Matt just the way he was. Just the way he was.” She donates proceeds from her speaking fees to the foundation, putting funding behind her call for tolerance.
Her appearance at UW-Waukesha is sponsored by the campus University Convocations Committee. It is part of the Visions & Expressions series, dedicated to exposing students to extracurricular intellectual inquiry to enhance their college experience.
To reserve tickets, phone the UW-Waukesha ticket office at (262) 521-5212. |
