The murder of James Byrd Jr in 1998 isn’t that long ago, especially in the context of the long and history of brutal hate crimes committed against African-Americans.
Unfortunately for James, more extensive legislative protection came too late for what transpired one unusually hot June in east Texas. But it proved to be the catalyst for much-needed reform when it comes to prosecuting hate crimes, and for taking a small step towards attempting to address pervasive and entrenched racism. And as we know, now more than ever, the struggle to help dismantle systemic racism, even at a symbolic level, isn’t over by a long shot.
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