Rep. Adams Statement on the Passage of the Emmett Till Antilynching Act

Washington, D.C. – Congreswoman Alma S. Adams, Ph.D. (NC-12) released the following statement on the passage of H.R. 35, the Emmett Till Antilynching Act:

"From the music and lyrics of Billie Holiday, to the stark imagery of the noose, lynching is burned into the Black consciousness. The legacy of lynching is one of over four-thousand beatings, hangings, and murders of African Americans across the South, as well as murders of people all races across the country. Lynchings represent trial by mob and utter disrespect for the rule of law, events that live in darkness far from the light of justice. Ninety-nine percent of the perpetrators of lynchings were never held to account for their crimes. While this bill cannot hold those perpetrators to account, or bring back the ancestors we lost, the passage of the Emmett Till Antilynching Act sends a stark message that this form of prejudice is never acceptable. This bill is a historic stepping stone for future Congresses to continue to build the legal framework that protects African Americans, as well as all Americans, from the evils of racism."

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