@HolmesCDC and @MSUGender present "Matt Shepard is a Friend of Mine"

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About this event

Michele Josue, director of the documentary "Matt Shepard is a Friend of Mine," is visiting Mississippi State to discuss her experience in creating this award-winning film. Film screenings, for which popcorn and punch will be provided, take place at 10 a.m., noon, 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. in the Colvard Student Union's third-floor Fowlkes Auditorium prior to Josue's 6 p.m. discussion in the Union's second-floor Foster Ballroom. A question-and-answer session will follow Josue's address. Free and open to all, the screenings and Josue's talk are being sponsored by the university's Holmes Cultural Diversity Center and Department of Sociology's Gender Studies program (www.genderstudies.msstate.edu). See the "Additional Information" section below for more information about the film.

Details

Type
Lecture
Link
https://www.facebook.com/msuhcdc
Location
Colvard Student Union, Fowlkes Auditorium (3rd Floor) and Foster Ballroom (2nd Floor)
Cost
Free
Primary Sponsoring Organization
Holmes Cultural Diversity Center
Sponsoring Organization's Web Site
http://www.hcdc.msstate.edu
Contact Name
Rachel Ross
Contact Phone
(662) 325-2033
Contact Email
rmr288@saffairs.msstate.edu
Additional Information
From http://mattshepardisafriendofmine.com: "Fifteen years ago, on the night of October 6, 1998, two men lured Matthew Shepard, a gay freshman at the University of Wyoming, from a bar in Laramie, Wyoming. He was kidnapped and driven to a field where he was tortured and tethered to a fence and left to die. Never regaining consciousness, Matthew succumbed to the severe injuries from the attack and died on October 12, 1998. The murder of Matthew Shepard was a devastating tragedy that made countless headlines around the world. As people denounced the hatred and senseless violence that caused Matthew’s death, a much-needed dialogue about hate crimes and intolerance against the LGBT community began and continues to this day. His tragic story brought the reality of inequality and vicious, irrational contempt into the public consciousness and set the stage for the landmark Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which President Barack Obama signed into law in 2009. Matt Shepard is a Friend of Mine follows director Michele Josue, a close friend of Matt's, as she travels to pivotal locations in Shepard’s life, interviewing other friends and family members, and gaining insight into the beautiful life and devastating loss of Matthew Shepard."