Political Quotes

“I thank the gentleman for yielding and thank him and the ranking member for bringing this legislation to the floor. It is so appropriate that it is bipartisan because it is about American values. I rise to join you in passing H.R. 35, the Emmett Till Antilynching Act, which finally explicitly designates lynching as a Federal hate crime. More than a century ago, the first antilynching legislation was introduced and later passed by this House ``to assure to persons within the jurisdiction of every State the equal protection of the laws and to punish the crime of lynching.'' But over 100 years and 200 attempts later at passage, it is still not law. I salute Congressman Bobby Scott--excuse me, Bobby Rush. I know Bobby Scott had something to do with this as well, but, in this case, the leadership of Bobby Rush--a lifelong civil rights champion in the Congress and in our country, for his leadership on H.R. 35, which will right this historic wrong. I thank Chairwoman Karen Bass of the Congressional Black Caucus for her commitment and that of the entire Congressional Black Caucus for bringing this legislation to the floor. I thank Chairman Nadler and Ranking Member Collins for their leadership as well, and Senators Cory Booker and Kamala Harris for leading this legislation in the Senate. Today, Congress has an opportunity to acknowledge its responsibility for its historic failure to confront and end the horror of lynching in America.…”