Watch the U.S. Senate Finally Vote to Make Lynching a Federal Hate Crime
Nearly six months after Black Senators Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Tim Scott (R-S.C.) introduced the Justice for Victims of Lynching Act of 2018—and decades too late—the United States Senate voted unaminously to make lynching a federal hate crime yesterday (December 19). Here’s video of the moment it happened; note that the presiding officer is Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), who infamously “joked” about lynching on the campaign trail this fall. The bill now moves on to the House of Representatives for a vote.
The moment when the United States Senate agreed unanimously to make lynching a federal crime for the first time. History. pic.twitter.com/MtoI0Or0mg
— Kamala Harris (@SenKamalaHarris) December 19, 2018