Tuesday’s bill was signed by President Joe Biden. It prohibits lynching at the federal level. This is a comparison to the actions of those who marched in Charlottesville.
Biden stated that the same racial hate that drove the mob’s decision to hang a noose on them also brought the mob with torches out Charlottesville just a few year ago, referring to 2017 protests. Racial hatred is not an old problem. It is a problem that persists.”
Biden proudly signed and delivered the bill before giving a speech.
“No federal law prohibits lynching. None. He boasted, “Until today.”
Biden stated that between 1877-1850, over 4,400 blacks were lynched.
He said, “That’s quite a few people, man. And a lot silence for a long while.”
Kamala Harris, Vice President of the United States, spoke to Biden after signing the bill. She noted that anti-lynching legislation had been introduced in 1900 but failed 200 times before finally passing Congress in 2022.
She stated that lynching was and will always be a hate crime and said that it is not something she had seen in the past. Racial acts and terror continue to occur in this country. We must have the courage and conviction to identify them and hold those responsible accountable.
Harris praised a number of activists who helped to pass the bill through Congress, and also highlighted the importance of black media.
“I’m going to go off-script for a moment about how important the black press is. He said that it was important to ensure that there are always storytellers in the community who will tell the truth, even if no one else is willing.
Biden, after Harris’s speech was over, returned to the microphone in order to stress the importance of a federal law prohibiting lynching.
