Companies are coming forward to make sure it's well-known that they stand on the side of Black Lives Matter. As millions have taken to the streets, brands are finding themselves in hot water based on who they align themselves with and their company practices. It's the current age of airing out businesses and what goes on behind the scenes, but it surprised the masses when BabyNames.com showed its solidarity by highlighting dozens of names on their homepage.
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In a large black box in white letters, BabyNames.com showcased a shocking list of names—all black people, young and old, who lost their lives because of injustice. Beginning with Emmett Till, the 14-year-old who was tortured and lynched in 1955 for looking at a white woman, all the way to George Floyd, whose March 25 death at the hands of Minneapolis police sparked recent protests.
"Each one of these names was somebody's baby," the company wrote on their webpage. "BabyNames.com stands in solidarity with the black community." BabyNames.com is the leading source of well...baby names on the internet, so this is a bold move from the company. They also sent out a tweet of names, as well, but some like Emmett Till, Trayvon Martin, and Ahmaud Arbery are missing.
Congress Approves Legislation Making Lynching A Federal Hate Crime
It only took 120 years, but lynching is finally considered a federal hate crime in the U.S.
It’s hard to believe it took this long, but the House of Representatives finally approved legislation designating lynching as a hate crime under federal law.
Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Ill.) introduced the bill, naming it the Emmett Till Antilynching Act after the 14-year-old boy who was lynched in Mississippi 65 years ago, Vice reports. It’s also been 120 years since Congress first considered passing anti-lynching legislation, which is quite unbelievable when you think about it.
The legislation passed 410 to four in the House and is now on its way to the White House, where President Trump is anticipated to sign it. The Senate passed the bill last year, which specifies lynching “as a federal hate crime punishable by up to life in prison, a fine, or both,” NBC News writes.
“The importance of this bill cannot be overstated,” Rush told NBC. “From Charlottesville to El Paso, we are still being confronted with the same violent racism and hatred that took the life of Emmett and so many others. The passage of this bill will send a strong and clear message to the nation that we will not tolerate this bigotry.”
Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) represents the district where Till was abducted and killed. “No matter the length of time, it is never too late to ensure justice is served,” Thompsons told NBC.
