III 108th CONGRESS 2nd Session S. RES. 442 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES September 29, 2004 Ms. Landrieu (for herself and Mr. Allen) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary RESOLUTION Apologizing to the victims of lynching and their descendants for the Senate's failure to enact anti-lynching legislation.

Whereas the crime of lynching succeeded slavery as the ultimate expression of racism in the United States following Reconstruction; Whereas lynching was a common practice in the United States until the middle of the 20th century; Whereas lynching was a crime that occurred throughout the Nation, with documented incidents in all but 4 States; Whereas at least 4,749 people, predominantly African-Americans, were reported lynched in the United States between 1881 and 1964; Whereas 99 percent of all lynch mob perpetrators escaped any form of punishment from State or local officials; Whereas lynching prompted African-Americans to form the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and prompted members of B'nai B'rith to found the Anti-Defamation League; Whereas nearly 200 anti-lynching bills were introduced in Congress during the first half of the 20th century; Whereas between 1890 and 1952, 7 Presidents petitioned Congress to end lynching; Whereas between 1920 and 1940, the House of Representatives passed 3 strong anti-lynching measures; Whereas protection against lynching was the minimum and most basic of Federal responsibilities, yet the Senate failed to enact anti-lynching legislation despite repeated requests by civil rights groups, Presidents, and the House of Representatives; Whereas until the recent publication of Without Sanctuary: Lynching Photography in America, the victims of lynching have never been properly acknowledged; Whereas only by coming to terms with its history can the United States effectively champion human rights abroad; and Whereas an apology offered in the spirit of true repentance moves the Nation toward reconciliation and may become central to a new understanding upon which improved racial relations can be forged: Now, therefore, be it

That the Senate— (1)apologizes to the victims and survivors of lynching for its failure to enact anti-lynching legislation; (2)expresses its deepest sympathies and most solemn regrets to the descendants of victims of lynching whose ancestors were deprived of life, human dignity, and the constitutional protections accorded all other citizens of the United States; and (3)remembers the history of lynching, to ensure that these personal tragedies will be neither forgotten nor repeated.