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CHARLOTTE – The mother of Matthew Shepard, a man who was severely beaten, tied to a fence and left to die in what prosecutors said was a hate crime because he was gay, spoke to 4,000 professional counselors in Charlotte Sunday.

Judy Shepard shared with them how they can help make schools safer and more tolerant.

“The focus has been just really trying to make a difference while remembering Matt, to have a legacy rather than just a tragedy,” she said.

Shepard said revisiting the story of her son’s death in front of thousands does bring back heartache she said hasn’t faded in the last decade.

“It’s been much harder than I thought it would be, going back to all those memories and those things that you think that you don’t have to think about anymore, on a daily basis. And then all of a sudden, there they are,” she said.

But teen suicide and its causes are what Shepard said motivate her to continue telling her son’s story.

“We know it’s high in teenagers just in general, but throwing in the perception or the actuality of being gay, it just skyrockets,” Shepard said.

She told the crowd that the only way to end hate is for them to educate. However, she said she still thinks that the struggle will require tolerance in government as well.

“I think the federal government’s going to have to step in now, much like with interracial marriages,” she said.