The University of Wyoming’s annual Shepard Symposium on Social Justice began Wednesday night. The four-day eventwas named for Matthew Shepard and the activism of his surviving family members. It features panels and presentations focusing on race, sexual orientation, gender, disability, and social justice issues.
Angela Jaime is the chair of the event. She says the recent suicides on UW’s campus highlight a need for discussion.
"We’ve had some serious loss in the last week here on campus and that affects everyone, not just our college campus but the community at large. And I think that it’s important that we all come together and have these conversations," says Jaime.
The event is free and open to the public. It runs through Saturday. A full schedule of events can be found at www.shepardsymposium.org.