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In Jasper, a few feet from Black Street, you will find James Byrd Jr. Memorial Park. It is a patch of green in a city whose name has all but become synonymous with a ten-year-old hate crime that literally left pieces of an African-American man scattered on a long stretch of road.
At a ceremony held to remember the anniversary of his death, Byrd's mother sat strong and kept one seat beside her empty, almost as if to hold a place for her son.
A diverse group of community members, activists and children crammed under a tent to remember James Byrd Jr. and recognize how much progress Jasper has made toward healing racial tensions. One family friend even brought a straw hat signed by people who loved Byrd.
This is their story in pictures.