America's Burden

Today I'm in Jasper, Texas. Today a jury in this hurting Texas town sentenced John William King to death for the murder of James Byrd Jr.

Byrd, a black man, was dragged to death along a lonely highway one year ago.

In every way, this is an exceptional case. And it has played out against a troubling background.

This week, a study by the Southern Poverty Law Center found that racist hate groups are on the rise and are more affluent, better educated and more media-savvy than before.

Also this week, a survey conducted for the American Bar Association found that nearly half of those questioned believe the legal system is unfair to poor people and racial and ethnic minorities.

The good town of Jasper, Texas, never asked to be a symbol of race relations in America. Jasper never asked to carry the burden of justice for the entire country. It is probably unfair to ask so much of so few - even in a community that is trying as hard to do right, as Jasper is.

But, at the end of Black American History Month, we are reminded that, like it or not, every American may be called upon to pick up the burden of justice; every American may be looked upon as a symbol of race relations in this country. The problem isn't Jasper's - it's ours.