Houston, May 7, 2004 ... The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) is horrified and sickened by the racist desecration of James Byrd Jr.'s grave site in Jasper, Texas.  The tombstone was found broken with a racial epithet carved into the granite.

ADL's Houston Regional Office issued the following statement:

The desecration on the gravesite of James Byrd Jr. sends a clear message that there is still much work to do in the fight against racism and prejudice in our region.

We must always denounce racism whenever and wherever it occurs, and continue to fight it with all the tools we have available to us.

Our hearts go out to James Byrd, Sr., and Stella Byrd, and all of the Byrd family.  It seems their pain will never end.  ADL is available to do all it can to continue to promote the healing of the family's deep wounds and the healing of Jasper, Texas.