House passes anti-lynching bill after more than 200 failed attempts

Explore Our Galleries

A man stands in front of the Djingareyber mosque on February 4, 2016 in Timbuktu, central Mali.
Mali's fabled city of Timbuktu on February 4 celebrated the recovery of its historic mausoleums, destroyed during an Islamist takeover of northern Mali in 2012 and rebuilt thanks to UN cultural agency UNESCO.
TO GO WITH AFP STORY BY SEBASTIEN RIEUSSEC / AFP / SÉBASTIEN RIEUSSEC

African Peoples Before Captivity

Shackles from Slave Ship Henrietta Marie

Kidnapped: The Middle Passage

Image of the first black members of Congress

Reconstruction: A Brief Glimpse of Freedom

The Lynching of Laura Nelson_May_1911 200x200

One Hundred Years of Jim Crow

I Am Somebody! The Struggle for Justice

NOW: Free At Last?

Memorial to the Victims of Lynching

The Freedom-Lovers’ Roll Call Wall

Frozen custard in Milwaukee's Bronzeville

Special Exhibits

Breaking News!

Today's news and culture by Black and other reporters in the Black and mainstream media.

Click Here

Ways to Support ABHM?

Click Here

March 2, 2022

By TheGrio Staff

The Emmett Till Antilynching Act, introduced by Rep. Bobby Rush in 2019, passed in the House Monday, with three Republicans voting no.

The Emmett Till Antilynching Act, which was introduced by Rep. Bobby Rush (above) in 2019, passed in the U.S. House of Representatives Tuesday. Three Republican voted against it. (Photo: Michael A. McCoy/Getty Images)

Better late than never. After more than 200 failed attempts since 1900, the U.S. House of Representatives has passed a bill that makes lynching a federal crime in America.

The Emmett Till Antilynching Act passed in a 422-3 vote Monday, with Republican congressmen Thomas Massie of Kentucky, Chip Roy of Texas, and Andrew S. Clyde of Georgia voting against the measure, according to NBC News.

The bill was introduced by Illinois Rep. Bobby Rush in 2019. Rush, who represents the Chicago district where Till and his family once lived, said that:

“By passing my Emmett Till Antilynching Act, the House has sent a resounding message that our nation is finally reckoning with one of the darkest and most horrific periods of our history, and that we are morally and legally committed to changing course,” according to a statement, NBC News reported.

Read the full story here.

Learn more about the terrible history of lynching here or here .

More Breaking News here.

Comments Are Welcome

Note: We moderate submissions in order to create a space for meaningful dialogue, a space where museum visitors – adults and youth –– can exchange informed, thoughtful, and relevant comments that add value to our exhibits.

Racial slurs, personal attacks, obscenity, profanity, and SHOUTING do not meet the above standard. Such comments are posted in the exhibit Hateful Speech. Commercial promotions, impersonations, and incoherent comments likewise fail to meet our goals, so will not be posted. Submissions longer than 120 words will be shortened.

See our full Comments Policy here.