On Monday evening, December 2, the Matthew Shepard Foundation and Washington National Cathedral hosted a ceremony of inspiration, celebration, and song as we dedicated the Matthew Shepard Memorial Plaque.
Elevated by a grassroots, crowd-funded campaign in the weeks following Matthew’s 2018 interment in the Cathedral, the plaque is intended both to honor Matthew’s memory and to serve as a source of strength in the continued journey for LGBTQ+ equality. The historic plaque is placed near the crypt which marks the final resting place of another powerful voice for human rights, Helen Keller and her companion, Annie Sullivan.
Gathered again in the Cathedral Nave, speakers and musicians highlighted Matthew’s legacy while celebrating ongoing efforts to, as the Matthew Shepard Foundation declares, “envision a future without hate, where understanding and compassion guide us toward an equitable world.”
Our celebration was made possible through the generous support of Bloomberg Philanthropies.