Written by: Mirella Barrera-Betancourt
Nearing the 25th anniversary of the murder of Matthew Shepard, Western is honoring Shepard’s memory with the “Legacy of Matthew Shepard Project.” This project was brought to Western and sponsored by the Oregon Cultural Trust.
On Oct. 7, 1998, Matthew Shepard, a 21 year old, gay college student, was deceptively lured from a bar in Laramie, Wyoming by two men, who subsequently robbed and brutally beat Shepard. Shepard would die five days later at the hospital as a result of his injuries.
Shepard’s unjust murder drew national attention to the prevalence of anti-gay hate crimes, eventually leading to the passing of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act in 2009 and the establishment of the Matthew Shepard Foundation.
The “Legacy of Matthew Shepard Project” is a collaborative, campus-wide effort with Western’s Creative Arts — Western Oregon University’s Music, Theatre, Dance and Visual Arts Departments.
The project transpires over two consecutive weeks, beginning Feb. 27 with the opening of “Catalyst: An Exhibit Honoring the Legacy of Matthew Shepard” — an exhibition featuring visual artwork centered around LGBTQ+ themes. The exhibit consists of a diverse selection of art forms from artists Pablo Cazares, Chelsea Couch and Andrew Campbell, including artwork from “The t4t Art Collective,” a collective by trans artists from Portland, Oregon. Located in the Cannon Gallery of Art, the exhibit will remain open to the public through March 24.
For a number of days, Western’s theatre department will present the performance of “The Laramie Project,” originally written by Moisés Kaufman in 2000. “The Laramie Project” is based on the true story of Matthew Shepard, detailing the aftermath of his murder in the town of Laramie.
Western’s theatre department offers seven performances of “The Laramie Project” for public viewing. The next performances take place on March 8, 9, 10 and 11.
Additionally, the series includes the Oregon premiere of Grammy-nominated Fusion oratorio, “Considering Matthew Shepard,” featuring the combined voices of Western and Chemeketa Community College choirs. The oratorio was originally composed by Craig Hella Johnson — American choral conductor and composer, and Grammy award winner for Best Choral performance. Western’s choral director and chair of the music department, Dr. James Reddan, will be conducting the next concert on March 11, which is presented by the Smith Fine Arts Series.
On the special night of Monday, March 6, Judy Shepard — the mother of Matthew Shepard — spoke to the community about the death of her son and the prevalence of hate crimes, including the tear jerking recitation of the victim impact statement she gave in a trial hearing nearly twenty-five years ago in 1999.
Judy Shepard is the author of the best-selling book, “The Meaning of Matthew,” and played a critical role in the founding of the Matthew Shepard Foundation, alongside her husband, in 1998. Today, Shepard continues to advocate for basic rights for the LGBTQ+ community.
“We’ve become a sickness; society — sick, silent, indifferent and complacent,” Shepard said, in a portion of her victim impact statement. “… my answer is this: educate, educate, educate. Bring understanding where you see hate and ignorance. Bring light when you see darkness, (and) bring freedom when there’s fear and begin to heal.”
Furthermore, during her original speech, Shepard encouraged the audience to rally for change.
She states, “We have to start being louder. We need to be the loudest. We need to vote. We need to run for office. We need to support people running for office. We need to partake in the system. Yes, it takes time. But it’s the only way things change. This is a marathon, not a sprint.”
Additional performances took place on Tuesday, March 7 as part of the “Legacy of Matthew Shepard Project.” Western’s dance department premiered two original dance pieces, choreographed by Samuel Hobbs and Keith Johnson.
As a reminder for future events, Western students receive free admission to all Rice Auditorium performances provided they show their student ID. However, students will still need to purchase tickets to reserve seating. For more information on the “Legacy of Matthew Shepard Project” and/or to purchase tickets, visit the Creative Art’s official page at http://wou.edu/creativearts/.
Contact the author at howlnews@wou.edu
