The Stella Bird Story
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Houston PBS
“A Mother’s Account: The Stella Byrd Interview”
Jasper, Texas, white supremacist, John William King, has been sentenced to death for his role in the murder of 49 year old James Byrd, Jr. For two weeks the jury has been subjected to testimony and evidence so gruesome—
His body was found in pieces in the outskirts of town, had been beaten, chained to the back of Berry’s truck and dragged for three miles. According to—
On June 7, 1998, three white mean from the town of Jasper, Texas brutally murdered African- American, James Byrd Jr., by chaining him to the back of a pickup truck and dragging him three miles. When the dismembered body was found, it refocused America and the world’s attention on the fact that racism and hate still exist. Hello, I am Ernie Manouse. Over the next 30 minutes, we will talk with James’ mother, Mrs. Stella Byrd, about what it is like to live through a personal tragedy while in the public eye. How one copes with such a crime and what we can all learn from this tragedy. Often when a much-publicized crime takes place people forget that the victim was a real person with a family that is hurting from the loss. We are very pleased today to be joined by Mrs. Byrd.

Ernie M.: Hello there.
Mrs. Byrd: Hi.
Ernie M.: Does there ever come a time when the pain starts to go away, when you can get back to your daily live?
Mrs. Byrd: Sometimes. When you think you got it all made, then they will probably show something on television or something in the newspaper refreshen it all over and over again. You just have to take one day at a time.
Ernie M.: Is it difficult when you see, like we came up to day in a TV truck, when you see yet another one coming in front of your house. Does that bring back too much?
Mrs. Byrd.: Memories, yes it does. It brings back memories because sometime I can’t even stand to see a pickup truck, you know, because that’s what they used when they killed him and at times I can see it. I got tapes here now with him playing the piano, but I haven’t been able to watch it, not yet. But, hopefully, some day I can gradually put it al behind me.
Ernie M.: I heard that some of your children can’t even have pictures of him up around the house because it’s too hard to remember...

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