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Judy Shepard, Founder of Matthew Shepard Foundation, Speaks to Area Students and Educators at ADL’s 13th Annual Youth Leadership Conference

  • November 13, 2019

To see photos from the Youth Conference, click the image of the photobook at this link.

Philadelphia, November 12, 2019 – Judy Shepard, the mother of Matthew Shepard and cofounder of the Matthew Shepard Foundation, will speak to high school students and educators from 50 high schools in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware at ADL’s 13th Annual Youth Leadership Conference this year.

Months after Judy and Dennis Shepard lost their son Matthew in 1998 to a murder motivated by anti-gay hate, they established the Matthew Shepard Foundation to carry on Matthew’s legacy and to work toward the causes championed by Matthew during his life: social justice; diversity awareness and education; and equality for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people.

After more than 20 years, the law and public opinion have shifted dramatically toward those goals, but much work remains to be done. Educating teenagers and their teachers is critical to ensuring that these values take root and endure. In her continuing role as board president of the Matthew Shepard Foundation, Mrs. Shepard travels across the nation, speaking to audiences about what they can do as individuals and communities to make the world a more accepting place for everyone, regardless of race, religion, ethnicity, sex, gender identity and expression, or sexual orientation.

Her perspective is especially relevant for the students and educators attending the ADL conference. Originally trained as a secondary-school teacher, she holds a Bachelor of the Arts degree in Secondary Education from the University of Wyoming.

The conference, held at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, is a program that ADL has held annually since 2007.

At a time when many schools are dealing with rising intolerance, hate and divisiveness, one way to challenge prejudice and hate is to get to know people who come from different backgrounds, and have different life experiences and beliefs.

At the ADL Youth Leadership Conference, students work in small groups to find common ground and explore ways to serve as allies to fellow students who may be targeted or excluded. Concurrently, teachers and administrators have conversations with their peers from other schools to discuss their role in creating equitable and inclusive school communities.

Randi Boyette, Senior Associate Regional Director for the Philadelphia office of ADL says, “Our overarching goal for this conference is to inspire students to act as allies to their peers rather than being silent or active bystanders. We at ADL believe that each person can make a positive difference in the lives of others.”

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ADL is the world’s leading anti-hate organization. Founded in 1913 in response to an escalating climate of bigotry, its timeless mission is to secure justice and fair treatment to all. Today, ADL continues to fight all forms of hate with the same vigor and passion. A global leader in exposing extremism, delivering anti-bias education and fighting hate online, ADL is the first call when acts of bigotry occur. ADL’s ultimate goal is a world in which no group or individual suffers from bias, discrimination or hate. More at www.adl.org.