Reps. Bacon, Moulton & Taylor Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Criminalize Lynching

Press Release

Today, Representatives Don Bacon (R-NE), Seth Moulton (D-MA), and Van Taylor (R-TX) for the second session in a row introduced bipartisan legislation amending the United States Code to criminalize lynching and provide for enhanced sentencing under existing federal hate crime statutes. H.R. 1727, The Emmett Till and Will Brown Justice for Victims of Lynching Act would recognize that a lynching offense is a tool used to intimidate and deny civil rights based on personal prejudices. In 2020, the text of this bill was amended into the Emmett Till Antilynching Act which passed the House the same year.

Dating back to 1918, there have been over 200 failed attempts to pass anti-lynching legislation and now is the time for Congress to right this shameful failure to criminalize this act. It is an instrument of terror and intimidation. According to the Tuskegee Institute, 4,743 people were lynched in the U.S. between 1882 and 1968 of various ethnicities, the majority being African American.

"While we cannot undo the injustices of the past, we can ensure that those committing this terroristic crime in the future will be sentenced accordingly," said Rep. Bacon. "Over 100 years ago, lawless and angry mobs in Omaha murdered Will Brown and George Smith by lynching and burning their bodies. I'm thankful to Reps. Moulton and Taylor for joining me in this rightful redress of those barbaric lynchings so we can reflect the words written on Will Brown's tombstone, "Lest We Forget'."

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