Rep. Tulsi Gabbard Votes to Pass Historic, Bipartisan Anti-lynching Bill

Statement

Today, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (HI-02) voted to pass H.R.35, the Emmett Till Antilynching Act, a bill which would designate lynching as a federal hate crime. The bill was passed by a vote of 410-4 and now heads to the Senate for consideration.

"Lynching is not only about murder, but also about sowing fear and stoking the flames of hatred and bigotry. Unfortunately, there are still hate crimes being committed, like the shooting of peaceful parishioners at a Bible study at the Mother Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, and the violence in Charlottesville. I was humbled to cast my vote today, over 100 years since the first anti-lynching bill was introduced in Congress, joining nearly all Members of Congress, standing together to pass this important legislation," said Rep. Tulsi Gabbard.

Background: Rep. Tulsi Gabbard has been a vocal opponent of racism and bigotry and has drawn attention to the challenges America has and continues to face on this front.

She has condemned President Trump's racists, divisive Tweets and drew attention to the growing divisiveness in the U.S. and contrasted it to the spirit of aloha at the annual U.S. Conference of Mayors which was hosted in Honolulu, HI.

In March 2019, she joined Rep. John Lewis (GA-05) for his annual pilgrimage to Alabama to commemorate the Civil Rights Movement. She is a cosponsor of H.R.40 which calls for the creation of a commission to explore reparations proposals to address the impact slavery and its legacy.

During her time in Congress she has commemorated the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II, noting that the divisiveness and bigotry underlying Executive Order 9066 persists to this day and must be confronted with love and respect. She also confronted anti-Muslim bias and emphasized the importance of bringing communities together through compassion and justice as well as evoked the legacy of peace and non-violent change championed by Mahatma Gandhi.

About Rep. Tulsi Gabbard: Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard is serving her fourth term in the United States House representing Hawai"i's Second District, and serves on the House Armed Services and Financial Services Committees. She previously served on the House Foreign Affairs Committee and Homeland Security Committee. She was elected to the Honolulu City Council in 2010, and prior to that at age 21, was elected to the Hawaiʻi State Legislature in 2002, becoming the youngest person ever elected in the state. Tulsi Gabbard has served in the Hawaiʻi Army National Guard for 16 years, is a veteran of two Middle East deployments, and continues to serve as a Major.

Follow Rep. Tulsi Gabbard on social media:
-Facebook.com/RepTulsiGabbard
-Twitter.com/TulsiPress
-YouTube.com/TulsiPress
-Flickr.com/RepTulsiGabbard

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