Rush Applauds Unanimous Senate Passage of Bill to Award Congressional Gold Medal to Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley
Rush Applauds Unanimous Senate Passage of Bill to Award Congressional Gold Medal to Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley (Washington D.C.) – Today, U.S. Representative Bobby L. Rush (D-Ill.) applauded the Senate’s unanimous passage of the bipartisan Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2021, legislation Rush has introduced in the House. The bill would award a posthumous Congressional Gold Medal in commemoration of Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley, the mother of Emmett Till and a tireless fighter for civil rights and justice.
“The lynching of Emmett Till changed my life and it changed our entire nation,” said Rush, whose mother moved their family from Albany, Georgia to Chicago in the 1950s. “We can never forget Emmett Till’s story and Mamie Till-Mobley’s heroic quest for justice, including her courageous decision to hold an open-casket funeral for her baby boy. This was a catalytic event in the civil rights movement, and it forced our nation to reckon with the brutal truth of racist violence. I can think of no more fitting recognition of Emmett and Mamie’s sacrifice, impact, and enduring legacy than the Congressional Gold Medal. I am thrilled that this bill has passed unanimously in the Senate and look forward to seeing it pass the House.”
Congressional Gold Medal
The Congressional Gold Medal is Congress’s highest expression of national appreciation for distinguished achievements and contributions by individuals or institutions. The Congressional Gold Medal requires support from two-thirds of Congress. Fewer than 175 medals have been extended in the country’s history.
Rush introduced the Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2021 (H.R. 2252) in the House of Representatives in March 2021 with Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.). The House bill has 19 additional cosponsors. The Senate legislation was introduced by U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Richard Burr (R-N.C.).
Rush Applauds Unanimous Senate Passage of Bill to Award Congressional Gold Medal to Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley
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