[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 150 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 150

      Commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Elaine massacre.


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                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 26, 2019

 Mr. Crawford (for himself, Mr. Hill of Arkansas, Mr. Womack, and Mr. 
 Westerman) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
                     the Committee on the Judiciary

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                               RESOLUTION


 
      Commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Elaine massacre.

Whereas between September 30 and October 1, 1919, an unknown number of African 
        Americans were murdered in a racially motivated riot;
Whereas the violence erupted when the unionization of sharecroppers was falsely 
        portrayed as a Black insurrection against White landowners;
Whereas estimates range between 100 to 240 victims, making the massacre one of 
        the worst instances of mass racial violence in United States history;
Whereas official investigations were only made into the deaths of 5 White people 
        who were also killed in the violence;
Whereas those investigations resulted in the prosecution of 122 African 
        Americans; and
Whereas subsequent litigation resulted in the historic United States Supreme 
        Court decision of Moore et al. v. Dempsey in 1923, the first Supreme 
        Court case regarding the treatment of African Americans in State 
        criminal justice systems, setting a precedent for future review of State 
        criminal convictions: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) honors the lives and legacies of the unknown number of 
        African Americans who were murdered in Phillips County, 
        Arkansas, 100 years ago;
            (2) expresses its deepest sympathies to the families of the 
        victims; and
            (3) recognizes the role the massacre played in 
        strengthening United States citizens' due process rights 
        through Moore v. Dempsey, which set a precedent for the Supreme 
        Court's subsequent review of State criminal trials and their 
        compliance with the Bill of Rights.
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