Ethan Maglione
Staff Writer
Lynching became a federal crime on Feb. 26. Congress passed the Emmett Till Anti-Lynching Bill with a 410-4 ratio. The bill is a revised version of two previous bills, the Justice for Victims of Lynching Act and the Dyer Anti-Lynching Bill.
The Justice for Victims of Lynching Act was widely considered meerly symbolic and would only catagorize lynchings as hate crimes. However, many valued its symbolic value because it was an attempt by the federal government to make amends for its negligence for the issue in the past, something the Emmett Till Act wants to emulate.
The Dyer-Anti Lyching Bill which was introduced in 1918 and was considered controversial at the time of its introduction. It was the first legislation to consider lynching a federal crime and paved the way for other anti-hate crime legislation. However, this legislation was not passed due to different political climates in the 1900’s. The grand majority of the legislation was taken or improved by the Emmett Till Bill. It is also worth noting that despite the fact the bill did not pass into law there was, reportedly, a decrease of lynchings once the bill gained publicity.
While the bill was almost unanimously voted for in congress, there were four individuals who voted against the new bill. These men were Michigan’s Independent Justin Amash, Ted Yoho of Florida, Louie Gohmert of Texas and Thomas Massie of Kentucky. The reasons why they voted against the bill were due to the fact they believed the bill would give the federal government too much power in matters handled by the state. They also noted the fact that it would allow officials, whom the state had no say in electing, to have too much sway over the state. Despite the protest, the bill was still passed and will hopefully be a new law.
“Lynching is an American evil. Today, we send a strong message that violence—and race-based violence, in particular—has no place in America. Thank you to my colleagues in the House & Senate who have joined me to correct this injustice,” tweeted Bobby Rush, an activist and co-founder of the Illinois Black Panther section.
It is no suprise that civil rights groups are supporting the legislation, as most civil rights groups have been against lynching bills since the first pice of legislation was introduced in 1918.
“The passage of anti-lynching legislation became one of the NAACP’s central goals. Although slow to join the cause because its leaders worried about the constitutionality of imposing such a federal law on the states, the NAACP eventually embraced the anti-lynching movement, using it to educate the often ambivalent white population and spur substantive action,” according to History.House.gov.
The new legislation is widely considered a positive action, though some people question the practicality of the new bill, as lynching is already considered to be illegal. Some worry, the new legislation has little practical implication.
“Yeah, I think it has a practical purpose. It is similar to what would be achieved if hate crime laws were passed,” said Nicholas Crane, assistant professor in the Department of Geography.
The struggle to have a serious argument against lynchings has been a long and arduous journey, however, since the United States Congress has passed the bill, it is possible to see justice for such heinous crimes. It is up to President Donald Trump to sign the bill into law, which could paint a brighter future for America.
