James Byrd Jr.

James Byrd Jr. was an African American man who was brutally murdered in 1998 in Jasper, Texas. His death drew national attention to issues of racism and hate crimes in the United States. Byrd was dragged behind a truck by three white men, a crime motivated by racial hatred. The incident sparked outrage and led to significant advocacy for hate crime legislation, ultimately resulting in the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009, which expanded federal hate crime laws to include those motivated by sexual orientation and disability. Byrd's story remains a poignant reminder of the impact of racism.