James byrd jr biography

James Byrd, Jr. ()

James Byrd, Jr. is considered one of the last lynching victims in the United States. On the morning of June 7, , year-old Byrd left his parents’ residence and was walking home alone along Huff Creek Road in Jasper, Texas.  He was approached by three white men, John William King, Lawrence Russell Brewer, and Shawn Allen Berry, who offered him a ride home.  Byrd accepted.  The men then drove their unsuspecting passenger to a remote area and then beat and urinated on him.  They tied him by his ankles to the back of a pickup truck using log chains and dragged him until he died and his body was dismembered.  Portions of his corpse were found dispersed in seventy-five different spots along the two-mile stretch of country road that the men traveled.  Byrd’s torso was located approximately one mile from his head.  The trio left what body parts remained affixed to the truck at a black cemetery before heading to eat.  Law enforcement agents used finger prints to determine Byrd’s identity.  The gruesome nature of Byrd’s death captured national attention and demonstrated that racialized violence in America was not a relic of a Jim Crow past.

Born on May 2, in Beaumont,

James Byrd Jr.

James Byrd Jr. was born on May 2nd, in He is best remembered for being an African American individual who was murdered by white individuals. His murder made headlines throughout the United States. Similarly, it led to a series of legislative changes.

Early Life

James Byrd Jr. was born on May 2nd, in His place of birth was in Beaumont, Texas. He was the son of James Byrd Sr. and Stella.

Byrd’s mother was a Sunday, school teacher. His father was also in the same line of service as he served as a deacon. His religious upbringing also influenced young Byrd, and as a result, he actively participated in playing the piano and singing in church.




Education

James Byrd Jr. attended Jasper Rowe High School where he later graduated in In spite of the encouragement he received from his parents, he did not enter college.

Marriage

Shortly after completing his high school education, James Byrd Jr. tied the knot and had three children with his wife. In , Byrd divorced his wife. Three years later, he migrated back to Jasper with a mission of improving his life. Consequently, he joined Alcoholics Anonymous.

Murder

On June 7th, in , James Byrd Jr

James Byrd Jr.

()

Who Was James Byrd Jr.?

On June 7, , James Byrd Jr. accepted a ride from three white men, who beat him, chained him to the back of a truck and dragged him to his death. His brutal murder made national headlines, with two of the assailants drawing the death penalty. In , President Barack Obama signed the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act into law.

Early Life and Family

Born on May 2, , in Beaumont, Texas, James Byrd Jr. was the third of eight children. His parents, Stella and James Byrd Sr., raised the family in an East Texas community called Jasper, and their lives revolved around church. While Byrd's mother served as a Sunday School teacher, his father was a deacon at the Greater New Bethel Baptist Church. A young Byrd also contributed by singing and playing the piano. In Byrd graduated from Jasper Rowe High School as part of the last segregated class in its history.

Despite an excellent academic record and encouragement from his parents, Byrd did not follow his two older sisters to college. Instead, he married a few years out of high school and fathered three children: Renee, Ross and Jamie. Byrd worked sporadically as a

Say Their Names

James Byrd Jr.

Photo by Unknown / Facebook: The Byrd Foundation for Racial Healing

James Byrd Jr. was 49 years old and a divorced father of three children. On June 7, , he was brutally lynched by three white supremacists, in his hometown of Jasper, Texas. The three assailants had lured Byrd into their car, under the pretense of driving him home. Instead, they kidnapped him, beat him, chained him to their car, and dragged him for three miles behind a pickup truck along an asphalt road.

It is almost too horrific to believe, but James actually remained conscious for much of this torture. He was killed about halfway through the dragging when his body hit the edge of a culvert, a tunnel carrying a drain underneath a road. This collision severed his right arm and head. The murderers drove on for another ​one-and-a-half miles before callously dumping James’ torso in front of a Black cemetery.

James’ killers were all convicted of capital murder. Two of them were executed, and one is serving a life sentence. James’ lynching led to the passing of the first hate crime law in Texas, as well as the expansion of the federal hate crimes law through the pa


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