Congressman Cohen Introduces Civil Rights Legacy Protection Act

MEMPHIS – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today reintroduced the Civil Rights Legacy Protection Act, legislation that would establish penalties for vandalism of Civil Rights monuments and memorials. The measure calls upon the U.S. Civil Rights Commission to create a list of monuments and memorials that should be protected.

Just south of Memphis, the plaque memorializing the place outside Money, Mississippi, where Emmett Till was lynched in 1955 is regularly vandalized.

Congressman Cohen last year introduced legislation requiring the National Park Service to study lynching sites within roughly 100 miles of Memphis to be included in its system, which was signed into law as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023. Congressman Cohen is a longtime member of the Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties.

Congressman Cohen made the following statement:

“We must honor and protect the legacy of the heroes who advanced Civil Rights, and the places where they took their brave stands. Bigotry-based vandalism should result in swift justice and appropriate penalties. The history of the Civil Rights movement, and the physical memorials focusing public attention on the struggle, are part of our rich heritage and require safeguarding.”

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