Former First Lady Michelle Obama.Photo: Paras Griffin/Getty
Michelle Obamais opening up about her emotional reaction to PresidentJoe Bidensigning a bill named afterEmmett TillTuesday, which officially made lynching a federal hate crime.
Obama spoke out about the historic moment on Wednesday, tweeting, “Yesterday, President Biden signed the Emmett Till Antilynching Act into law — finally designating lynching as a federal hate crime in the United States. For many Black folks, this historic moment comes with a lot of different emotions — I know it does for me.”
“Antilynching legislation was first introduced over a century ago—and failed to pass over 200 times,” the former first lady continued. “Now, the Emmett Till Antilynching Act is a chance to reckon with our history, and move in a new direction—one that makes this country safer and more just for us all.”
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TheEmmett Till Antilynching Actis named after Till, who was 14 years old when he was kidnapped, brutally beaten, and lynched in 1955 in Mississippi after being accused of whistling at and harassing a white woman.
Decades later,the woman recantedher claims. Till’s death was a catalyst for the civil rights movement.
Rush introduced the bill in 2019 and named it after Till, who was from the representative’s 1st District in Illinois. He said the legislation will finally outlaw “an American evil.”
During Tuesday’s signing ceremony, Biden said it’s up to “all of us” to stop racial hate, detailing the violence Black Americans have experienced.
“Racial hate isn’t an old problem. It’s a persistent problem,” Biden continued. “Hate never goes away, it only hides under the rocks. If it gets a little bit of oxygen, it comes roaring back out, screaming. What stops it? All of us.”
Vice President Kamala Harrisalso added, “Racial acts of terror still occur in our nation. And when they do, we must all have the courage to name them and hold the perpetrators to account.”
source: people.com
