The Emmett Till Anti-Lynching Act was signed into law by President Joe Biden March 29. Credit: Samuel Corum/Pool/ABACAPRESS.COM via TNS
Ohio State experts and students say the Emmett Till Antilynching Act, which was signed into law by President Joe Biden March 29 and made lynching a federal hate crime, is a step in the right direction in acknowledging historical mistreatment of Black people.
The law prosecutes anyone conspiring to commit a hate crime with the intent to injure or kill an individual, along with the acts of kidnapping or sexual assault, according to a summary of the bill. Anyone prosecuted can face criminal penalties of paying a fine, serving up to 30 years of prison time, or both.
Emmett Till was a Black 14-year-old who was killed by a group of white men in Mississippi in 1955, according to the Library of Congress.
Tina Pierce, program manager in the John Glenn College of Public Affairs, said the signing of this bill was significant because it acknowledges what Black people went through in terms of lynching, while also punishing the perpetrators.
“Having a federal law put into place to seek, again, a real form of justice for the Black community in terms of this very real historical hate crime that has been committed since slavery time is very important and critical,” Pierce said.
Pierce said the U.S. is at a critical point in history with institutions striving for an anti-racism environment, although racism continues to impact the everyday lives of Black people.
China Williams, a second-year in early childhood education and secretary of the Black Student Association, said she was surprised that a similar law had not already been signed. She said this law makes her more comfortable traveling to certain areas, and she is glad it will honor those who have been affected by lynching throughout history.
“For the people that were impacted in the past by it, it felt like a sense of justice for them as well,” Williams said.
Williams said lynching is the most extreme hate crime, but she believes racially motivated, violent acts on smaller scales should also be recognized as hate crimes.
Pierce said there needs to be more education regarding the Black community’s contributions to American history, as well as laws at the state and local levels that promote equity toward marginalized groups, diversity in jobs and positive representation of marginalized communities.
Pierce said she encourages students to expose themselves to a diverse range of perspectives and to get out of their comfort zones in order to strengthen the impact of this law. She said this is one example of how the U.S. can address a history of laws mistreating the Black community.
“Having this bill is the first step in acknowledging the very real realities of the terrorism that we have experienced as a people,” Pierce said.
