Jesse Jackson: Congress Should Pass Anti-Lynching Legislation
Greensboro, NC — Rev. Jesse Jackson has a new initiative aimed at an ugly chapter of American history: He wants Congress to make lynching a federal crime.
Jackson, a 1964 graduate of N.C. A&T, was in Greensboro to deliver Bennett College’s baccalaureate address. He mentioned that he recently spoke to Democratic minority leaders in the House and Senate, including Rep. Nancy Pelosi and Sen. Chuck Schumer, about sponsoring legislation.
From the late 1800s until 1968, Washington lawmakers tried to pass such a law 200 times. And 200 times, they failed—either voted down or the vote was thwarted by filibuster. “Now it’s time to change that,” said Jackson.
The term “lynching” conjures specific images for most African Americans, but its actual definition is more general: a group of people killing someone for an illegal act, without benefit of a trial. We can’t dismiss history, because it’s connected to today and tomorrow.
It “demystifies yesterday—which explains today;” said Jackson. “Historians have documented more than 4,000 lynchings in the South from 1877 to 1950, including 122 in North Carolina. Hundreds more likely went undocumented. “Legislation should be passed against it,” Jackson concluded.
