Archive for February 2020

Congress Makes Lynching a Federal Crime After 120 Years of Failure

Since at least 1900, members of the House and Senate have tried to pass a law making lynching a federal crime. The bills were consistently blocked, shelved or ignored, and the passage of time has rendered anti-lynching legislation increasingly symbolic. But on Wednesday, a measure to add lynching to the United States Criminal Code passed…

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House makes lynching a federal crime, 65 years after Till

Sixty-five years after 14-year-old Emmett Till was lynched in Mississippi, the House has approved legislation designating lynching as a hate crime under federal law. The bill, introduced by Illinois Rep. Bobby Rush and named after Till, comes 120 years after Congress first considered anti-lynching legislation and after dozens of similar efforts were defeated. The measure…

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The important word in ‘democratic socialism’ is ‘democratic’

After the Nevada caucuses, Bernie Sanders is now the front-runner in the Democratic presidential race. In South Carolina, the next primary, former Vice President Joe Biden is the favorite, buoyed by his support among African American voters. But Sanders will come into the state with real momentum, having won the popular vote in each of…

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Flashback: Chicago’s first black alderman sat as the lone African-American voice on the city’s council — and then, Congress

Oscar Stanton De Priest had presence. Fair-skinned enough to pass for white, and standing at least 6 feet tall with white hair adorning his head, he was distinctly noticeable, “perhaps the most striking Negro in Chicago,” one Tribune reporter penned. But it was his presence as the only black person in national political leadership that…

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Full-length feature film to focus on life & legacy of Ida B. Wells

Local 24 News Reporter Rebecca Butcher had the chance to sit down with Daphene McFerren to discuss an upcoming, full-length feature surrounding the life and accomplishments of Ida B. Wells. Wells was an African-American investigative journalist in the 1800s who reported on lynchings in Memphis. She was an early leader in what became known as…

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