Pelosi Statement on House Passage of the Emmett Till Antilynching Act

Washington, D.C. – Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued the following statement after the House passed the Emmett Till Antilynching Act, also passed by Democrats in the 116th Congress:

"Today, the House took an important step to advance the cause of justice by finally designating lynching as a hate crime under federal law. In again passing the Emmett Till Antilynching Act – which was made possible by generations of brave activists, including civil rights hero Congressman Bobby Rush – we are confronting the reality of racist violence and helping to build a safer future for all of our children.

"Nearly seven decades later, the brutal murder of Emmett Till is forever seared into our collective memory. Sadly, hateful attacks are not yet a relic of the past: from the scourge of police violence to assaults on houses of worship. That is why the Democratic Congress is hard at work empowering our legal system with more tools to bring perpetrators to justice.

"Any act of bigoted violence is an attack on the most basic promise of American Democracy: ‘life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.' House Democrats will not rest until we guarantee these inalienable rights for every American. We now call on the Senate to take immediate action and send this bill to the President's desk."