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James Byrd Jr., an African American man, was dragged to death after being beaten, spray painted and chained by the ankles to the back of a pick up truck. In 75 places, Byrd's remains soaked the isolated road in Jasper, Texas where his life was ripped away. Two of his murderers sit on death row and the third is serving a life sentence.
In this modern lynching, Civil rights activists found another reason to fight for justice. White supremacists found an excuse to protest. The media found a headline story. But the community of Jasper lost a neighbor. And a family lost a brother and son. That is what the family of James Byrd Jr. wants you to remember.
Remembering James Byrd
Betty Byrd Boatner pauses at the gravesite of her brother Thursday, June 5, 2008 in Jasper, Texas. James Byrd Jr. was chained to the back of a pickup truck and dragged to death down a country road 10 years ago in the early morning hours of June 7, 1998.
(AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Byrd's remains were found scattered in 75 places along the twisting path that cuts through a pine forest. His head and right arm were discovered about a mile from his mangled torso.
(AP Photo)
Byrd's murderers were quickly arrested and convicted, offering some comfort that justice was served. John William King and Lawrence Russell Brewer are now on death row. Shawn Allen Berry is serving a life sentence.
(AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Holly Blake, 2, plays in the James Byrd Jr. Memorial Park Thursday, June 5, 2008 in Jasper, Texas.
(AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Walter Diggles, executive director of the Deep East Texas Council of Governments, is shown in his office Thursday, June 5, 2008 in Jasper, Texas. Diggles will speak during a tribute to James Byrd Jr. Saturday.
(AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
For the past 10 years the Byrd family has made it their mission to confront the problem of racial hatred. They were inspired to create the Byrd Foundation for Racial Healing and were a force behind the passage of the James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Act in Texas.
Says Byrd's sister, Louvan Byrd Harris:
"We must take something that's such a tragic happening and hopefully help someone else so no one will have to deal with the horror that we have to go through everyday."And it seems progress is being made:
For all the turmoil, Jasper has made strides to heal its image. An alliance of black and white ministers was formed and is active in town. Billy Rowles, who was the town's sheriff at the time, realized he didn't have a diverse police force. So he hired six black deputies and dispatchers.In James Byrd, Jr.'s death, Jasper finds a way to move from hate.
"They portrayed me as a snuff dippin', beer drinkin', redneck East Texas sheriff, and they had it all right - but I wasn't a bigot," said Rowles, 62, who retired four years ago.
The local Wal-Mart, known as the town's mall, reflects the demography of Jasper's working-class residents, almost equally split between black and white, with a growing Latino population. Recently, a white man shopped for groceries with a black woman, their interracial child sitting on the shopping cart.
Comments: (15)
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By: leon blake on 6/12/2008 7:07AM
The reason Bush isn't going to sign a(hate crime act)
it's because he's racist.
The truth hurts and reality is,Even politicians
don't give a dam about colored folks.
Racism will always exists in (What)we so called
America.....
If whites could have it back to (segregation)they would in a heart beat.
Obama becomes(president)he'll be tookin out
just like Martin Luther King,and Malcolm X.
The world don't want a Black President for real.
The world likes it that (white) presidents have took us to high gas prices,and high everything lately.
I mean just look at the news and how there getting away with saying racist things about Obama and he haven't done nonthing to these people,except want to become (President).
We as the(world)should get out of the 50's and 60's and get into the 20008 year.
TIME IS NOW,CHANGE IS NOW,NEW LIVING IS NOW.....
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By: linda on 6/11/2008 11:50PM
everyones talking about Mr. BYRD , im from a town called hemphill, tx and a black man was beat to death in the jail by a policeman. the only reason he got justice was because they took him to the hospital in tyler ,tx and he died their.
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By: JAZZMAN11 on 6/12/2008 4:45AM
Mr Byrd is a symbol of the racism that still runs rampant in the wake of this country possibly having Barack Obama as our next President. I think it is timely that this story was written at this time. The progress that has been made in Jasper again proves what a mighty people we are. But we ain't nowhere near where we need to be. But even with the ugliness that still pervails, we can always rise above adversity and be victorious.My prayers go out to the Jasper family as well as all the families that have suffered loss at the hands of arrogance and extreme ignorance. That also includes the families of lost ones who died and WILL DIE in Iraq. "...WAR, WHAT IS IT GOOD FOR,ABSOLUTELY NOTHING..." - Edwin Starr(1968)
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By: Tenisha Dunn on 10/22/2008 2:09PM
My Heart goes out to the Byrd family. I am deeply upset and touched that it had to happen to yall. I hope that some peace and releif comes yall's way and may god be with you. I cant believe that somebody that sick would do something like that. I think that george Bush is an asshole because he is a racist and he dont like black people. I am relieved that yall got justice for that crime. May god be with the byrd family and I give my prayers out towards them because the way I look it,yall deserve every bit of luck that god gives you.
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By: Andrew Yu-Jen Wang on 3/04/2009 10:08PM
Speaking of George W. Bush:
George W. Bush committed hate crimes of epic proportions and with the stench of terrorism (indicated in my blog).
George W. Bush did in fact commit innumerable hate crimes.
And I do solemnly swear by Almighty God that George W. Bush committed other hate crimes of epic proportions and with the stench of terrorism which I am not at liberty to mention.
Many people know what Bush did.
And many people will know what Bush did—even to the end of the world.
Bush was absolute evil.
Bush is now like a fugitive from justice.
Bush is a psychological prisoner.
Bush has a lot to worry about.
Bush can technically be prosecuted for hate crimes at any time.
In any case, Bush will go down in history in infamy.
Submitted by Andrew Yu-Jen Wang
B.S., Summa Cum Laude, 1996
Messiah College, Grantham, PA
Lower Merion High School, Ardmore, PA, 1993
“GEORGE W. BUSH IS THE WORST PRESIDENT IN U.S. HISTORY” BLOG OF ANDREW YU-JEN WANG
______________________
I am not sure where I had read it before, but anyway, it is a linguistically excellent statement, and it goes kind of like this: “If only it were possible to ban invention that bottled up memories so they never got stale and faded.” Oh wait—off the top of my head—I think the quotation came from my Lower Merion High School yearbook.
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