Jane Clementi, who lost her son Tyler to suicide after he became the victim of homophobic cyber bullying, will talk about her Tyler Clementi Foundation “Upstander” program as part of the Daniel Pearl Education Center Speaker Series on Wednesday, Nov. 14, beginning at 7:30 pm at Temple B’nai Shalom in East Brunswick.
Clementi will offer personal perspectives to the conversation about bullying and cyberbullying, human rights, families touched by suicide, or bigotry. She will share Tyler’s story and the Foundation’s work to inspire people of all ages and backgrounds to be Upstanders in the face of bullying.
“Today, Tyler’s memory lives on every time we recruit another Upstander to stand up to bullying, to offer its victims their support and to treat every individual with dignity and respect, regardless of one’s age, race, nationality, faith, gender identity, sexual orientation or cultural identity,” Jane Clementi said. “I look forward to this special opportunity to present for the Daniel Pearl Education Center, which also does such important work in creating real ‘community’ in our communities.”
There is a minimal donation – $10 – to attend Jane Clementi’s presentation, with all proceeds being split between the Tyler Clementi Foundation and the Daniel Pearl Education Center.
“The Clementi family experienced an unspeakable tragedy with the circumstances surrounding Tyler’s death,” said Dr. Andy Boyarsky, chairman of the Daniel Pearl Education Center. “It is so brave of them to share their experiences with us and to teach us all about the consequences of bullying, harassment and humiliation.”
He added, “Fighting this kind of intolerance is exactly what the Daniel Pearl Education Center is all about – helping us all accept and appreciate our differences in hopes of creating better communities for all of us.”
Previous speakers in the Daniel Pearl Education Center Speaker Series have included: Dr. Perry Brickman, who was the subject of a documentary, “From Silence to Recognition: Confronting Discrimination in Emory’s Dental School History”; Dr. Berndt Wollschlaeger, the son of a decorated Nazi tank commander who traveled to Israel, converted to Judaism and later served in the Israel Defense Forces; representatives of Seton Hall University as part of the showing of Sister Rose’s Passion, a documentary film that examines the life of Sister Rose Thering, a Roman Catholic nun and former professor at Seton Hall University who battled anti-Semitism within her church and contributed to a historic Vatican declaration that Jews were not collectively responsible for the death of Jesus; Sheryl Olitzky, co-founder of the Sisterhood of Salaam Shalom; legendary high school basketball coach Bob Hurley, who spoke about providing opportunities and guidance to underprivileged youth; and best-selling author Yvette Manessis Corporon (Something Beautiful Happened), who spoke about survival and courage in the face of evil.
Seating will be limited, so seats can be reserved by contacting dpeccommittee@gmail.com or by calling 732-251-4300, ext. 222.