Black History

Congress Passes Anti-Lynching Bill After 200 Failed Attempts Over 100+ Years

Rep. Bobby Rush, who represents part of Chicago, where Till lived before he was murdered, said the bill “sends a clear and emphatic message that our nation will no longer ignore this shameful chapter of our history and that the full force of the U.S. federal government will always be brought to bear against those who commit this heinous act.”

Published

3 years ago

March 21, 2022

Oakland Post

Rep. Bobby Rush, who represents the Chicago district where Emmett Till lived, and Los Angeles Rep. Karen Bass with a photo of Emmett Till speaking before the House passed the bill last month. Photo courtesy of Rush press office.

By Brandon Patterson

The Senate passed a bi-partisan bill criminalizing lynching at the federal level this week, sending the bill to President Biden’s desk after the House approved the bill in January. The Emmett Till Anti-Lynching Act, named for the 14-year-old Chicago boy whose brutal murder in Mississippi in 1955 helped catalyze the Civil Rights Movement, allows a crime to be prosecuted as a lynching if a victim is killed or injured as the result of a hate crime with a sentence of up to 30 years in prison. The Senate passed the bill unanimously, though three Republican members of the House — from Georgia, Kentucky, and Texas —voted against it.

The bill’s passage by Congress marks the end of hundreds of failed attempts to pass anti-lynching legislation over more than a century. Congress failed to pass such legislation more than 200 times over the last 122 years, according to USA Today.

The first piece of anti-lynching legislation was introduced by Rep. George Henry White in 1900. White, who represented North Carolina, was the House’s only Black lawmaker at the time. Democrat Sen. Cory Booker and Republican Senator Tim Scott, both of whom are Black, introduced the legislation together this time around.

“Although no legislation will reverse the pain and fear felt by those victims, their loved ones, and Black communities, this legislation is a necessary step America must take to heal from the racialized violence that has permeated its history,” Booker said in a statement on March 7.

Under the new legislation, the 2020 case of Ahmaud Arbury, whose killers were convicted of murder and on federal hate crime charges earlier this year, would likely qualify for prosecution as lynching.

Till, for whom the bill is named, was killed in Money, Miss., in 1955 after being falsely accused of whistling at a white woman. Till was on a trip that summer to visit his mother’s family. Although there was ample evidence and several witnesses, the all-white jury ruled that the men accused in Till’s death were not guilty.

This story was written using reporting from USA Today and CNN, research from the Equal Justice Initiative, and statements released by the offices of Sen. Corey Booker and Rep. Bobby Rush.

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Oakland Post: Week of March 5 – 11, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of March 5 – 11, 2025

Published

4 days ago

March 7, 2025

Oakland Post

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Arts and Culture

Beverly Lorraine Greene: A Pioneering Architect and Symbol of Possibility and Progress

Greene graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1936 with a degree in Architecture — a remarkable accomplishment for an African American woman at the time. She was never discouraged by the racial and gender discrimination that saturated her field.

Published

1 week ago

March 3, 2025

Oakland Post

Beverly Lorraine Greene. Public domain photo.

By Tamara Shiloh

In the mid-20th century, Beverly Lorraine Greene was recognized as the first African American woman licensed to practice architecture in the United States.

Greene was born on Oct. 4, 1915, in Chicago during an era when opportunities for African Americans, particularly women, were severely limited.

Her parents, James and Vera Greene, were deeply invested in her education, instilling in her a belief in the power of intellect and perseverance. She grew up during the Great Migration that transformed Chicago starting in 1900.

Greene continued her education, earning a master’s degree in City Planning and Housing in 1937, also from the University of Illinois. Her ambition was not merely to design structures but to shape spaces that fostered equity and community. In 1942, she became the first African American woman licensed as an architect in the United States, obtaining her credentials in Illinois. This groundbreaking achievement, however, did not translate immediately into job opportunities.

Early in her career, she faced significant discrimination from firms unwilling to hire a Black woman. However, her determination never wavered. In 1945, Beverly moved to New York City, a place she believed could offer broader professional opportunities.

She joined the architectural department of the New York City Housing Authority, focusing on affordable housing projects. Her work during this time reflected her commitment to using architecture as a tool for social justice, ensuring that marginalized communities had access to well-designed, dignified living spaces.

Greene’s talents soon drew the attention of prominent firms. She was hired by Isadore Rosenfield, a respected architect known for designing hospitals. She contributed to the design of healthcare facilities, including the modernization of Harlem Hospital. Her portfolio expanded in collaboration with architectural personalities such as Marcel Breuer and Edward Durell Stone.

Notably, she worked on the prestigious UNESCO headquarters in Paris — a landmark project that brought her skills to an international stage. Her involvement underscored her ability to navigate the intricacies of large-scale, global projects, proving that her talents transcended the limitations society sought to impose.

Greene’s career was tragically cut short when she passed away unexpectedly in 1957 at the age of 41. Though her life was brief, her impact was profound. She shattered entrenched barriers, paving the way for future generations of Black architects and women in the field.