Judy Shepard, who lost her son,
Matthew, to a murder motivated by
anti-gay hate in 1998, will speak in the
Schwartz Center on April 9. She
established The Matthew Shepard
Foundation to help carry on her son’s
legacy.

Kent State University’s May 4 Visitors Center will host two events this week to commemorate the tragic events that occurred on May 4, 1970, on the Kent Campus.

Today, April 6, the center will host a collaborative workshop, “Overcoming Trauma Through Creative Writing,” at 7 p.m. in Kent State’s Wick Poetry Center. The workshop will be led by David Hassler, director of the Wick Poetry Center, and Mindy Farmer, director of Kent State’s May 4 Visitors Center. Participants will engage in group discussion and writing exercises to explore the transformative and healing power of creative writing.

“Trauma is part of the human experience,” Farmer says. “It is our reaction to trauma, not the trauma itself, that defines us.”

On April 9, Judy Shepard will present “The Legacy of Matthew Shepard: Learn How One Mother Used Her Grief to Make a Difference,” at 7:30 p.m. in the Schwartz Center, Room 177. In 1998, Judy Shepard lost her son, Matthew, to a murder motivated by anti-gay hate. Turning tragedy into a crusade for justice and determined to prevent Matthew's fate from befalling others, she established The Matthew Shepard Foundation to help carry on his legacy.

“The tragic death of Matthew Shepard was a pivotal event in the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Questioning and Intersex movement and, as a result of this terrible event, Judy Shepard has become a powerful crusader for justice, equality and hate crime legislation,” Farmer says. “Anyone interested in the history of the gay and lesbian movement or who is searching for ways to overcome trauma should attend. She will challenge the audience to become activists in their own communities using their grass-roots power to make their schools and neighborhoods safer places.”

This event is co-sponsored by the May 4 Task Force and Kent State’s LGBTQ Student Center.

Both events are free and open to the public; however, the April 9 event, “The Legacy of Matthew Shepard,” requires a free ticket. Some tickets will be available at the door on a first-come, first-serve basis starting at 5 p.m. Doors will open at 7:15 p.m.

“Our job at the May 4 Visitors Center extends beyond just explaining the history of May 4, 1970," farmer says. "We must also meaningfully help our many guests who were traumatized by the tragic events that took place 45 years ago. Moving forward, we hope to be an example of historical healing at difficult sites. The Wick Poetry Center, which also shares a difficult past, is a natural partner in this endeavor.”

Other events planned for the 45th Annual May 4 Commemoration include:

• April 16 at 7 p.m. in Taylor Hall, Room 146: “The Future of May 4,” presented by Farmer.
• April 30 at 7:30 p.m. in Schwartz Center, Room 177: A special showing of the movie Dick Cavett’s Vietnam and a discussion with documentary filmmaker John Scheinfeld and Timothy Naftali, the head of Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives at New York University and former director of the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum.
  

On March 30, the May 4 Visitor Center hosted a multimedia presentation by Lauren Onkey, Ph.D., vice president of education and public programs for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, What’s Going On: Marvin Gaye, Vietnam and the Rise of Political Soul.

About Judy Shepard

Activist speaker Judy Shepard has appeared in two Human Rights Campaign advertisements urging an end to anti-gay violence and promoting a greater understanding of gay issues. She is also actively involved with Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG). In this capacity, she has written an open letter to schools across the country urging officials to make schools safer for gay students by promoting tolerance and diversity.

Most recently, Judy Shepard authored The New York Times best-selling book, The Meaning of Matthew: My Son's Murder in Laramie, and a World Transformed, a moving, intimate look at how her life, and the entire fight for equal rights changed when her son was killed. The 2015 documentary Matt Shepard is a Friend of Mine revisits Matt's murder and provides a new look into his too-short life

For more information about the 45th Annual Commemoration of May 4, 1970, events, visit www.kent.edu/events/may4-visitors-center.