A List
9/4/01
This Event Has Been Cancelled

FILMMAKER TO BRING 'HATE-FREE' MESSAGE TO SLU

CANTON - "Journey To A Hate-Free Millennium," a film and lecture program 
by Los Angeles filmmaker Brent Scarpo, will be presented at St. Lawrence 
University on Tuesday, September 11, at 7:30 p.m., in Gulick Theatre on 
campus. The event is open to the public, free of charge.
	The project is the only one that the family of University of 
Wyoming student Matthew Shepard has agreed to participate in since his 
hate-related murder in 1998. Scarpo and Martin Bedogne center the 
documentary on a number of recent hate crimes, interviewing family members 
and friends of the victims.
	Shepard's beating death in Laramie, Wyoming, made national news and 
it is widely believed that his sexual orientation was a factor in the crime. 
The film features footage of Shepard's mother, Judy Shepard, reading a 
statement she wrote and read at the trial of Russell Henderson, one of 
two men charged with the murder. In a letter of support to Scarpo and 
Bedogne, Judy Shepard wrote, "There is a tremendous need to address these 
issues with our young people, in order to create a world where every 
person is accepted and valued, and therefore ensure that what happened to 
Matthew, and our family, will never happen again."
	Others featured in the film include the family of Jasper, Texas, 
dragging victim James Byrd; parents and friends of Columbine High School 
shooting victims; and well-known political, religious and entertainment 
figures, including John Dye (Touched By An Angel) and Elton John.
	The goal of the project is to begin productive discussions about 
hate in this country, and to help people understand how hate affects their 
lives and our society. The presentation includes approximately 35 minutes 
of footage from the documentary, interspersed with dialogue among audience 
members about hate and what can be done to stop it. 
	Scarpo has worked in Hollywood for the past 15 years as an actor 
and casting director. He has appeared on stage, in television and in films, 
and cast such well-known films as Air Force One, That Thing You Do and 
The Shawshank Redemption.
	For more information, contact St. Lawrence's office of co-curricular 
education and programming, at 315-229-5756.

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