After Being Denied 200 Times Lynching Is Now A Federal Crime
Source: Equal Justice Initiative
Source: Equal Justice Initiative
Congress has tried but failed to pass anti-lynching legislation roughly 200 times since 1918.
Although the Senate passed a resolution apologizing to lynching victims, it has not passed legislation making lynching a federal crime — until now.
Senators Kamala Harris, Cory Booker and Tim Scott introduced a bill making lynching punishable as a hate crime which was passed Wednesday according to The Hill.
READ: Ferguson Activist Melissa McKinnies' Son Found Dead In Alleged Lynching
"This is a historic piece of legislation that would criminalize lynching, attempts to lynch and conspiracy to lynch for the first time in America's history. Lynching is part of the dark and despicable aspect of our country's history that followed slavery and many other outrages in our country," Harris said.
Booker also spoke on the bill's passing, saying that the bill is "a very long time coming."
"For over a century members of Congress have attempted to pass some version of a bill that would recognize lynching for what it is, a bias, motivated act of terror...We do know the passage of this bill, even though it cannot reverse irrevocable harm that lynching was used as a terror of suppression, the passage of this bill is a recognition of that dark past," Booker said.
35 senators formally co-sponsored the bill alongside Harris, Booker and Scott. The bill was introduced in july and cleared unanimously in October by the Judiciary Committee. It passed the full Senate by voice note.
