Join us Thursday, February 25 at 7 p.m. for Part I of a webinar series organized by our Education Committee.
“The Capitol Lynching: Decoding America’s Intention. Where Are We Now?” will provide a brief overview of historical lynchings in the U.S. and specifically Prince George’s County and the consequences for both Black and white communities, while taking a look at the events on Jan. 6 as they relate to the history of lynching culture and the continuing problems of race-baiting hate, disenfranchisement and exclusion. We will also examine the U.S.’s current commitment to ensuring racial equity and justice.
On January 6, 2021, a mob of insurrectionists opposing the presidential election results erected nooses on our Capitol grounds and stormed the Capitol, leaving this symbol of terror and threat. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP/Getty Images)
After more than 100 years of unsuccessful legislative efforts to make lynching a federal offense, it’s time for justice for the victims of lynching and their communities. The Emmett Till Antilynching Act awaits approval. Your help is needed to push it through.
• Over 6400 people were lynched between 1865 and 1968, and most were African Americans. These numbers represent the documented cases; many others went unrecorded.
• Lynching (murder) is a crime that occurred in every state except four.
• Ninety-nine percent of all lynching perpetrators escaped punishment by state or local officials.
The Emmett Till Antilynching Act will make lynching a federal hate crime, allowing federal intervention and guidelines in charging, prosecuting, and sentencing perpetrators of lynching.
The bill was reintroduced by the House on January 4, 2021.
Why Support This Bill. No matter how old the crime, victims of lynching and their families deserve justice. Moreover, lynching continues and remains a threat as seen by the events of January 6, 2021.
What You Can Do. Contact your senators and representatives to urge them to vote for H.R. 55 – Emmett Till Antilynching Act. See the list of MD representatives with their contact information in the attached PDF file.
Sidney Thomas writes a powerful and beautiful piece for Black History month by remembering the name and story of William Burns, the only black man lynched in Allegancy County in western Maryland. The article offers us a glimpse of a soil collection ceremony, a project we are working to do in the Piscataway, Maryland area. Please read as we share stories throughout this month:
The soil was collected by Ms. Fisher and other local volunteers at the Allegany County courthouse site on Washington Street where Williams Burns, an African-American man, was brutally lynched on October 6, 1907 by an all white mob – some of whom were members of the Ku Klux Klan. The soil was collected as part of the Equal Justice Initiative Community Remembrance Project – in association with the Allegany County Lynching Truth and Reconciliation Committee. EJI is a nationwide organization working to confront prejudice and heal our nation’s history of racial injustice.
