For Immediate Release: March 29, 2022 

Contact: media@colorofchange.org 

 

STATEMENT FROM RASHAD ROBINSON, PRESIDENT OF COLOR OF CHANGE, ON PASSAGE OF EMMETT TILL ANTILYNCHING ACT

“Lynching was not just a tool of terror — it was a tool of political oppression used to silence Black people and maintain the status quo of white supremacy. The signing of the Emmett Till Anti-Lynching Act — more than 120 years in the making and after 200 failed attempts — recognizes the lives lost to this deeply abhorrent weapon. On this poignant day, we honor the people whose lives have been most directly affected by the violence of lynching, from Emmett Till’s family to every other family that worked tirelessly for justice. Without their dedication and commitment to this generations-long fight, we would not have reached this day. 

“While we celebrate this historic moment, we cannot pretend that the passage of this bill is an end to the ongoing violence Black people face. Seeing Congress condemn a tool of political oppression from the last century does not let them off the hook when it comes to addressing the tools of anti-Black political oppression in this century. We must keep pushing Congress and the White House to deliver real justice for Black people. This includes preventing conservative mobs from making Black votes disappear  and getting rid of the Jim Crow filibuster. The fights to dismantle racism in all its forms must get even stronger after today.” 

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