So, lynching.
Well, we know it's a stain on the history of our nation.
Since our founding, and in particular
in the century following the Civil War,
thousands of people in states across our nation were tortured
and murdered by vigilantes.
They were dragged from their homes.
They had ropes wrapped around their necks.
They were hanged, burned,
drowned and dismembered.
Often, as the president said, as their families were forced to watch
and as crowds gathered to spectate.
These lynchings were motivated of course, by racism
and meant to cause terror.
They were acts committed to secure
political and social control.
But they were not designated crimes by the federal government.
Legislation to make lynching a federal crime was first introduced
in the United States Congress in the year 1900.
It failed.
In the 122 years since,
anti-lynching legislation has been introduced
to the United States Congress more than 200 times.
Advanced by leaders
such as James Weldon Johnson of the NAACP.
And of course, the phenomenal Ida B.
Wells, which speaks, of course, to the role that we have known
also historically.
I'm going off script for a moment, about the importance of the Black press
and the importance of making sure that we have the storytellers
always in our community who we will support to tell the truth
when no one else is willing to tell it.
So today we are gathered
to do unfinished business,
to acknowledge the horror in this part of our history.
To state unequivocally that lynching is and has always been a hate crime.
And to make clear that the federal government
may now prosecute these crimes as such.
Lynching is not a relic of the past,
racial acts of terror
still occur in our nation.
And when they do, we must all have the courage
to name them, and hold the perpetrators
to account.
And with that, I'll close by saying this.
I believe that so often,
and it has been said,
the victims of lynching were targeted, and let's be clear about this,
because they were working to build a better America.
That's what they were doing.
It was in everybody's best interest what they were doing.
But unfortunately, the cowards couldn't see,
didn't understand.
Those folks
who were killed, they were business owners, creating
economic opportunity in their community,
by which all would prosper and benefit.
They were teachers, educating
the next generation of America's leaders.
They were activists,
who were defending the sacred freedom to vote.
So today, as we recognize them,
as we recognize our history, let us also be here
gathered to recommit ourselves
to that unfinished business as well,
to continuing to fight for freedom,
for opportunity,
and justice for all.