Sept.
21, 2004:
This
event has been rescheduled
for Tuesday, Oct. 5.
Aug.
23, 2004
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Judy Shepard, mother
of hate-crime victim Matthew Shepard, will be the featured
speaker at a presentation on the campus of Morningside College
on Tuesday, September 21, at 7:30 p.m. in Eppley Auditorium.
The event is part of the Academic and Cultural Arts Series
at Morningside and is free and open to the public.
The presentation “The Legacy of Matthew Shepard”
recounts how Judy Shepard became an advocate and frequent
speaker in support of the Hate Crimes Prevention Act after
her son was attacked in an anti-gay hate crime in October
1998 at Laramie, Wyo. He died as a result of the attack. In
the presentation, Shepard urges audiences to make their schools
and communities safer for everyone, regardless of their race,
sex, religion, or sexual orientation.
Shepard frequently speaks to audiences nationwide about gay
and lesbian equality and hate crime legislation and attempts
to raise awareness using programs developed by the Matthew
Shepard Foundation, established in 1998 by Shepard and her
husband, Dennis. She has appeared in public service announcements
on national and cable television aimed at curbing anti-gay
violence and promoting greater understanding of gay issues
and has been active with Parents, Families and Friends of
Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG).
With her husband,
Shepard co-wrote the introduction to the book, “Face
in the Crowd: Expressions of Gay Life in America,” a
collection of profiles and true stories about gay men and
women in America, published in 2002 by Prospect Publishing.
The event is sponsored by the Office of Diversity Affairs,
the Gay Straight Alliance, the Student Government Association,
and the Academic and Cultural Arts Series at Morningside College,
Waitt Family Foundation, Siouxland Aids Coalition, Grace United
Methodist Church, Jewish Federation of Sioux City, Siouxland
Diversity Coalition, and the local chapter of the NAACP. Proceeds
from the event go to support the Matthew Shepard Foundation.
For more information,
call the Department of Public Relations at Morningside College
at (712) 274-5320.
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