The Emmett Till Anti-Lynching Act, a bill that aims to ban American lynching, has been in existence for years.
It was named after the Black teenager who died in a brutal Mississippi shooting in 1955 . His mother insisting on an open casket for her son’s funeral to tell the world about what happened to her child made it a crucial moment in Civil Rights history.
“After more than 200 unsuccessful attempts to outlaw Lynching, Congress finally succeeds in taking a long overdue step by passing the Emmett Till Anti-Lynching Act,” stated Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.).
According to Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Ill), the bill would allow for prosecution of a crime such as lynching if a conspiracy to perpetrate a hate crime results is death or serious bodily harm. The Anti-Lynching Act allows for a maximum sentence of 30 years.
A similar measure was approved by the House in overwhelming numbers in 2020. However, it was blocked by the Senate.
The House approved the revised version unanimously last week and the Senate passed it late Monday.
Rush stated that Lynching was a long-standing, uniquely American weapon of racism terror that has been used for decades to maintain the white hierarchy.
According to the congressman, passage of the Emmett Till Anti-Lynching Act sends “a clear and emphatic signal that our nation will not continue to ignore this shameful chapter in our history” and that the U.S. federal authorities will always be at the ready to take on those responsible for this horrible act.”
