Michelle Obama Calls Anti-Lynching Law “Historic,” Says It Will “Make This Country Safer”

Michelle Obama opened up and shared her emotional reaction to President Joe Biden signing a bill named in honor of Emmett Till earlier this week, which finally made lynching an official federal hate crime. 

The former First Lady spoke out about the historic moment on Wednesday in a tweet, saying, “Yesterday, President Biden signed the Emmett Till Antilynching Act into law — finally designating lynching as a federal hate crime in the United States. For many Black folks, this historic moment comes with a lot of different emotions — I know it does for me.”

“Antilynching legislation was first introduced over a century ago—and failed to pass over 200 times,” Mrs. Obama continued. “Now, the Emmett Till Antilynching Act is a chance to reckon with our history and move in a new direction—making this country safer and more just for us all.”

President Biden signed the Emmett Till Antilynching Act into law during a White House Rose Garden ceremony on Tuesday.

The legislation makes it possible to prosecute a crime as a lynching when a hate crime conspiracy results in a fatality or serious bodily injury, which is punishable by up to 30 years in prison.