The House will vote on a bill that would make lynching a federal hate crime.
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, a Democrat from Maryland, announced on Thursday that the lower chamber will take action on H.R. 35, which has been named the “Emmett Till Antilynching Act” after a black 14-year-old who was lynched in 1955, next week.
Rep. Bobby Rush, a Democrat from Illinois, introduced the bill in January. He said the 2017 white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, and the racially motivated shooting in El Paso, Texas, highlighted the need for anti-lynching legislation at the federal level.
“From Charlottesville to El Paso, we are still being confronted with the same violent racism and hatred that took the life of Emmett and so many others,” Rush said in a statement. “The passage of this bill will send a strong and clear message to the nation that we will not tolerate this bigotry. I am beyond honored to see this bill finally get the vote it deserves on the House Floor.”
Hoyer noted that the bill’s passage would be a welcomed change during Black History Month, saying, “This legislation is long overdue, but it is never too late to do the right thing and address these gruesome, racially motivated acts of terror that have plagued our nation’s history. As we renew our commitment to confronting racism and hate during Black History Month, the House will take this historic step to demonstrate that commitment, and I hope this bill receives strong bipartisan support.”
Rep. Jerry Nadler, who heads the House Judiciary Committee, added, “More than 100 years have passed since Congressman George Henry White introduced the first antilynching legislation. Next week, we will finally take concrete steps to address this dark and shameful chapter in American history by bringing the Emmett Till Antilynching Act to a vote on the House Floor.”
The Senate unanimously passed a bipartisan bill in late 2018 that was sponsored by Democratic Sens. Cory Booker and Kamala Harris and Republican Sen. Tim Scott to make lynching a federal hate crime.
In a statement to Insider NJ, Booker lauded the House’s decision to take the vote, saying, “I’m humbled and grateful that the House will be taking up this important piece of legislation next week. Lynching has been used as a pernicious tool of racialized violence, terror, and oppression and is a stain on the soul of our nation. While we cannot undue the irrevocable damage of lynching and its pervasive legacy, we can ensure that we as a country make clear that lynching will not be tolerated.”
Harris also responded to the legislation, saying, “Lynchings were horrendous, racist acts of violence. For far too long Congress has failed to take a moral stand and pass a bill to finally make lynching a federal crime. I’m grateful for the partnership of Senators Booker and Scott, and I applaud the House of Representatives for bringing this important legislation to the floor. This justice is long overdue.”
The vote on the legislation will take place next Wednesday.
