SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) - President Donald Trump is expected to sign the Emmett Till Anti-Lynching Act.
The act would make lynching a hate crime under federal law. Reports show 4,743 lynchings occurred in the U.S. between 1882 to 1968. Black people accounted for 72.7% of the victims lynched. If and when Trump signs off on the act, the crime would be punishable by up to life in prison, a fine or both.
After 200 attempts, congress agreed to make lynching a federal crime. The agreement comes 65 years after a 14-year-old boy from Illinois was killed in Mississippi. Emmett Till was accused of whistling at Carolyn Brant, a white woman, who was a cashier at a grocery store. Bryant's husband and his half-brother kidnapped Till; they tortured, beat and killed him. Tills killers were acquitted.
Teresa Haley, Springfield's branch president of the NAACP, said "justice delayed isn't denied."
"We should honor his [Emmett Till] memory by telling the story; continuing to tell his story over and over," Haley said. "People are tired but we're not tired yet. There is a light at the end of the tunnel. This is just another light that shows justice does work."
Lawmakers said its never too late to ensure justice is served.
