(no subject)

[ekaterinn]

October 12th was two days ago. It was the anniversary of Matthew Shepard's murder. I didn't write anything about it then because I didn't have anything to say, to confront the memory of the horror. But then I saw a really thoughtful post by copperbadge on the subject and I remembered something:

Matthew's mother came to speak at my university my sophomore year. She said something that really stuck with me: Get involved. Doesn't matter what issue, what problem, or whatever you choose to be active in, just get involved in your community. I haven't always been good at doing this (though I've tried), but's wonderful advice, and I'll say it to all of you: Get involved! Because if all of us participate in community and civil groups and/or actions, if we become neighbors to more people in our communities, if we help others and spread tolerance and acceptance, maybe, just maybe, it will make things like the murder of Matthew Shepard a little more difficult to take place.

Comments

[lazzchan.livejournal.com]

If you ever get the chance, if it ever comes to your area, go see "The Laramie Project." Beautifully done, wonderful insights to some of the Laramie residents and other people involved at the time.

I remember Matthew Shepard as well, and I'm glad someone else remembers him, too. *hugs*

[ekaterinn.livejournal.com]

I actualy did see that in Ireland, of all places. I loved the rainbow-coloured american flags they used to advertise the play. The performance itself nearly had me crying - and laughing in parts, because it was funny and sad and horrible and all so, so human. *hugs back*

[ohtori-akio.livejournal.com]

Don't know if I told you this (somehow, it has miraculously failed to make it to LiveJournal), but I'm acting in the Rice Players production of The Laramie Project. We're almost at the end of our run; there's a show tonight and one tomorrow night. Judy Shepard will be in town next week, speaking at the University of Houston. We're going to see her as a cast, I think. It's been... ultimately, I don't know how much I personally have gotten out of it, and I'm pretty sure my grades would be at least a full letter grade higher if I hadn't done the play, but everyone who's seen it has really liked what we did, and seemed to come away with some greater understanding, some empathy that they lacked before. I guess that makes it worth it. I hope.

[ekaterinn.livejournal.com]

Oh, wow! No, you hadn't told me that. I really liked the play when I saw it while I was in Ireland, and I wish I could've seen you in it.

but everyone who's seen it has really liked what we did, and seemed to come away with some greater understanding, some empathy that they lacked before. I guess that makes it worth it.

I think that the very act of doing something like this makes it worth it. I would defintely define it as 'getting involved' and doing something positive. Feeling (more emphatic, as you said) leads to thinking to doing?

[ohtori-akio.livejournal.com]

I can only hope. We sold out the house on closing night, and since it was families weekend, about a hundred of the tickets (exact counts to come when our stage manager is over her cast party hangover) were sold to people's parents. So maybe we managed to reach some people that wouldn't ordinarily subject themselves to this kind of thing.

In *personal* terms, I still don't know that it was necessarily worth it, because, like I said, I'm in a little bit of grade difficulty at the moment because of all the time the play sucked away. But I guess you don't get something for nothing in this world.