WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, issued the following statement following the Department of Justice’s announcement that it has reopened its investigation into the 1955 racially-motivated murder of Emmett Till:
“The Justice Department should be credited for taking action in seeking justice in the heinous killing of Emmet Till. It is important that we work to hold accountable those responsible for some of the most heinous crimes to be carried out on our nation’s soil that continue to loom heavy for African Americans across our country today. Time does not absolve us of the responsibility and obligation of working to achieve justice for the families and communities impacted by these crimes. We urge the Justice Department and other state prosecutors to continue to use every tool in their arsenal to bring resolution in cold cases from the civil rights era. This work takes on particular urgency as our nation wrestles with a spike in racially-motivated hate activity today.”
The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law’s Stop Hate Project combats the surging threat of hate incidents across the country. The Stop Hate Project works to strengthen the capacity of community leaders, law enforcement, and organizations around the country to combat hate by connecting these groups with established legal and social services resources through its 1-844-9-NO-HATE Hotline.
