Matthew Shepard's Mother Speaks on Hate Crimes

Less than 200 people attended yesterday's "Hate Crimes in America" panel, a heavily publicized event sponsored by the Harvard Foundation and Memorial Church.

The panel, held in Sanders Theater, featured relatives of Matthew Shepard, Ricky Byrdsong and Joseph Ileto, all killed in violent acts deemed hate crimes.

Shepard, a gay University of Wyoming student, was beaten to death in 1998. Byrdsong, a black athletic coach at Northwestern University, died in 1999 after being shot in a drive-by shooting. Ileto died in 1999 after being shot by a gunman attempting to shoot Jewish children at a childcare center.

Dr. S. Allen Counter, director of the Harvard Foundation for Intercultural and Race Relations and K. Anthony Appiah, professor of Afro-American studies and philosophy opened the panel with introductory remarks.

Judy Shepard, Matthew Shepard's mother, said her son's death followed from not educating society about the consequences of hate.

"[His attackers] never once thought another gay, a queer, a fag would be missed," she said. "They regarded Matthew as subhuman because he was gay. Where did they get those views? From society."

Appiah, who said hate crimes were intended to keep certain people "in their place," stressed the panel's importance in stopping hate crimes.

"One of the most important forms of resistance [to hate crimes] is to not only refuse to be intimidated, but also to join in solidarity with those who refuse to be intimidated," he said.

The panelists then shared their personal stories, emphasized the universality of hate induced violence and proposed different methods of stopping hate crimes.

Sherialyn Byrdsong, the widow of Ricky Byrdsong, echoed Shepard's criticism of society but said the only way to stop hate crimes from occurring was to "return to God."

"I strongly feel that the violent act that took my husband's life is another clarion call...wake up America, it's time to turn back to God," Sherialyn Byrdsong said.

"No matter how much you legislate or educate, if you neglect matters that deal with the heart and human spirit, problems will only escalate," she added.

Ismael Ileto, the brother of Jospeh Ileto, tried to convey the uniqueness of his brother's character and also called for the passage of hate crime legislation.

"Call your representatives to address this issue," he urged the crowd. "It's a lot simpler to do that than to someday stand behind this podium telling people how you miss a loved one."

During the question and answer period that followed the speakers, several audience members thanked the speakers for sharing their stories and quizzed them on a range of topics--from how to implement their offered solutions to how to teach the concept of diversity in schools.

Michelle Kuo '03 said that while she valued the humanity the panelists brought to the discussion, she would have liked more discussion of policy.

"I do wish there'd been less rhetoric and more exploration of concrete legislation that could be implemented," Kuo said. "I felt some of them were saying that prayer and policy are mutually exclusive...which isn't necessarily true."

Jennifer R. Darrah '00, who organized the event with Serreyu Wong '00, said the experience more than made up for the low attendance.

"It was a really meaningful experience and it was clear to me that it very much impacted the people who were there," Darrah said. "Obviously we wanted to reach out to as many people as possible, but hopefully the people who were there will be able to share what happened."

Harry R. Lewis '68, dean of the College, David P. Illingworth '71, associate dean, and David B. Fithian, assistant dean, were also in attendance.