Transcript of Speaker Pelosi’s Remarks at Bill Enrollment Ceremony for the Emmett Till Antilynching Act
Washington, D.C. – Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Democrats held a bill enrollment ceremony today for the Emmett Till Antilynching Act. Below are the Speaker's remarks:
Speaker Pelosi. So here we are. This is a very satisfying – I would say happy, except the cause is so, so, so very tragic and sad. The passage of this important legislation – it's official name is the Emmett Till Antilynching Act – landmark legislation that will designate lynching as a federal hate crime.
We are here with some of the heroes of this legislation: [Congressman] Bobby Rush – Congressman, civil rights hero in so many ways and also the author of this legislation – to bring it to the Floor. Steny Hoyer, distinguished House Democratic Leader who has been a champion on this legislation for a long time. And really, under his leadership, we've not only passed the bill once, we passed the bill twice – but now we bring it across the finish line. Of course, Congresswoman Joyce Beatty, the Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, who has been such a strong advocate for this and other types of legislation that reject hate in our country. But lynching? But lynching? Why did it take so long? And then, Bennie Thompson isn't here just yet. I don't know if he'll be able to join us, but he's been a champion on this critical issue. Now of course, as you know, he represents Mississippi.
It's nearly seven [decades] later – the lynching of Emmett Till is seared into America's collective memory. Sad, he was just a boy. A child. Tragically, bigoted violence is not yet a relic of the past: from police brutality to assaults on houses of worship.
This morning – here comes Ben, Mr. Chairman – I call him Mr. Chairman, Mr. Chairman.
[Laughter]
Congressman Thompson. So you know why I'm late now?
[Laughter]
Speaker Pelosi. Your day job –
[Laughter]
But Mr. Chairman, I acknowledged your representation in the state of Mississippi and how you have been forcing us on this issue to make sure it became law. We had no problem as Democrats passing it when we had the Majority. But now it will become law. When we set the enrollment, we'll sign the bill, send it over, and then the President will be signing the bill. It's pretty exciting – but –
Leader Hoyer. Madam Speaker, I already introduced – before you came in – Joe Madison, who you know, is a famous radio – and a great civil rights leader in his own right – who sort of pulled my chain and said ‘you need to get this done.'
Speaker Pelosi. Well, that's good. But at the end, I was going to reference that Joe Madison has been promoting this for a long time. And by the way, he and Mr. Bobby Rush have been in cahoots –
[Laughter]
Joe Madison. If you say so.
[Laughter]
Speaker Pelosi. – on this bill, and I know that he has been a mentor on this subject for a long time.
Leader Hoyer. Joyce was saying that they grew up together.
Congresswoman Beatty. Yes, Joe and I grew up together, but – early years.
Speaker Pelosi. Well, we're honored.
Joe Madison. Early, early, real early.
Chairwoman Beatty. Real early.
Speaker Pelosi. Really, well – what's really important about that, and what Mr. Leader says, is that Joe has conveyed to a younger audience, a much younger audience, the tragedy of it all, the need for us to do something about it, recognizing their impatience that we haven't, and now we have succeeded. And it's really the message that I say all the time: our inside maneuvering is really important, but the outside mobilization and messaging of it really makes things happen. So thank you, Joe Madison, for your leadership in that regard.
So now, I'm going to sign the bill, in the presence of Steny and Bobby and Joyce and Bennie, our distinguished Chairs and our special guest, Joe Madison. I want to make sure this is a big, thick pen. What an honor to sign a bill that makes sense.
[Applause]
Speaker Pelosi. Bobby, get in the picture. We'll take it over to the other side – here we go. And now just imagine in a matter of – a short period of time, the President will sign it, it will be the law of the land. Long overdue. Thank you for your leadership.
Congressman Rush. Madam Speaker, may I?
Speaker Pelosi. Please do.
[Everyone sings, ‘We Shall Overcome']
Speaker Pelosi. Thank you, Bobby, for leading us in song and leading us in the legislation.
But it just still seems hard to believe that it took this long to get an anti-lynching bill. Every time we visit Bryan Stevenson and we see what – the record of all of that there.
I'll just say – this morning, early today – this morning on the steps of the Capitol, we had a vigil recognizing so many members of the Asian American – Asian Pacific community who have been assaulted: 11,000 just in the last couple of years, during the COVID period. People killed, just pushed into trains, one woman slashed – punched and slashed 140 times, just recently – because of their Asian heritage.
So, there is this attitude in our country that there's some license to hurt people and that it will go unaccounted for. We cannot let that be the case. We cannot – whether people are Asian or whether they were African American – in a former era or they are now – so this, this idea of community safety is something that is very important to all of us.
I thank our distinguished leaders for their service and leadership in this and so many other regards. And it's a proud day for us to, at long last, sign the Emmett Till bill. But here he is, there it is. It's so beautiful, so beautiful. It's so beautiful. There's so many stories that are written about it and the rest and – and we're just so proud of it. It makes me sad, though, that it took so long. I think it's just the weight of it.
Thank you all.