Just hours before President Obama is scheduled to sign the Matthew Shepard and James Bryd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act (scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Eastern), the Human Rights Campaign has released a tribute video to Judy and Dennis Shepard, who have lobbied for passage of this legislation since they lost their son Matthew to hate-motivated murder in 1998.
 
The video was produced for HRC’s National Dinner earlier this month, when the Shepards were honored with the Edward M. Kennedy National Leadership Award on behalf of their decade-plus work in support of civil rights legislation. This afternoon’s signing ceremony — and the reception that follows — can be viewed live here, on Advocate.com.