Senator Kamala Harris Plans to Intro Anti-Lynching Legislation

Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA)

Story by TheBeatDC.com

Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) was a guest on Joe Madison’s SiriusXM radio show on Thursday and said she was looking into introducing a national anti-lynching law at the federal level. More than 200 attempts have been made to pass an anti-lynching law in Congress that would allow federal prosecution of perpetrators and hold local officials accountable if they did not act to protect the victims. With Southern Senators armed with the filibuster, historically, Congress never acted.

Finally, in 2005, a Senate resolution was passed that expressed regret for the failure. Yet to this day, lynching is still not a federal offense. “This is part of the dark, awful history of this country and we cannot forget that history lest we repeat it,” Harris said. “Over 4 thousand Black people and even some white sympathizers were lynched up until 1981. So this is not just a problem of the 1800’s.”

Madison also played a soundbite for Harris from fellow Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) who was asked about the legislation. “Honestly I haven't thought about it. I thought that was done back during LBJ or some period like that,” McConnell said. “But if we need one at the federal level, I certainly would support it.” The National Memorial for Peace and Justice opened in Montgomery, AL in May, demanding a reckoning with one of this nation’s most repressed atrocities.

Hear the interview with Kamala Harris: https://soundcloud.com/siriusxm-news-issues/sen-kamala-harris-federal-anti-lynching-law-wjoe-madison