Congress Moves to Make Lynching a Federal Crime
Congress Moves to Make Lynching a Federal Crime After 120 Years of Failure
America has a history of lynching, but it’s not a federal crime. The House voted to change that.
The House overwhelmingly passed legislation Wednesday that would make lynching a federal crime, a move supporters said is “long overdue” in a country whose history is stained with the atrocities.
“I cannot imagine our nation did not have any federal law against lynching when so many African Americans have been lynched,” said Rep. Bobby Rush, D-Ill., a lead sponsor of the bill. “Lynching was the preferred method of the Ku Klux Klan, the preferred choice of torturing and murdering African Americans.”
The Emmett Till Antilynching Act is named in memory of a 14-year-old black teenager who was murdered in Mississippi in 1955. His death was a catalyst for the civil rights movement.
Rush said he proposed the bill at the urging of Jesse Jackson, who called last year to ask whether he knew there wasn’t such a law. “I heard the alarm,” Rush told USA TODAY.
The House approved the bill 410 to 4. Voting against the measure were Republican Reps. Louie Gohmert of Texas, Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Ted Yoho of Florida. Rep. Justin Amash, I-Mich., also voted no.
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