RIO RANCHO, N.M. (AP) – The United States Congress is once again at an impasse over a widely backed bill to designate lynching as a federal hate crime. Like previous attempts to pass anti-lynching legislation, the proposal is being blocked by a white southern representative, Republican U.S. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky.
Lynching is defined by Merriam-Webster as “to put to death (as by hanging) by mob action without legal approval or permission.” Throughout American history, lynching has been used as a tool of terror against people of color to maintain racist social orders and prevent people of color from voting, asserting human rights or seeking employment.
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