House of Representatives Overwhelmingly Passes Antilynching Act

The House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed an anti-lynching act on Wednesday, with just 20 members voting no or not voting.

The Emmett Till Antilynching Act passed 410-4. All Democrats voted yes, except for 10 who did not vote. One-hundred and eighty-eight Republicans voted yes, three voted no, and six did not vote.

The lone independent, Rep. Justin Amash (I-Mich.) voted no.

The bill, H.R. 35 (pdf), makes lynching a hate crime.

“The crime of lynching succeeded slavery as the ultimate expression of racism in the United States following Reconstruction,” it states.

“Lynching was a widely acknowledged practice in the United States until the middle of the 20th century. Lynching was a crime that occurred throughout the United States, with documented incidents in all but 4 States. At least 4,742 people, predominantly African Americans, were reported lynched in the United States between 1882 and 1968. Ninety-nine percent of all perpetrators of lynching escaped from punishment by State or local officials.”

Nearly 200 anti-lynching bills were introduced in Congress during the first half of the 20th century and the House passed three anti-lynching measures between 1920 and 1940 but the bills werent passed by the Senate.

A photo of Emmett Till is included on the plaque that marked his gravesite in Illinois. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

A Senate resolution agreed upon in 2005 apologized to victims of lynching and the failure to pass anti-lynching legislation.

“Notwithstanding the Senates apology and the heightened awareness and education about the Nations legacy wRead More – Source

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The Epoch Times

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