Representative Ayanna Pressley Leads Congressional Call for Federal Investigation into Hanging Deaths of Black Individuals
Representative Ayanna Pressley has spearheaded a congressional letter, co-signed by 59 members of Congress, urging the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to launch a comprehensive federal investigation into the unexplained hanging deaths of Black individuals across the United States. The letter highlights a disturbing pattern of such deaths, which lawmakers argue may not be isolated incidents and evoke the nation's history of racial terror and lynching. Citing a February 2026 report, the letter notes over 70 lynchings in seven states between 2000 and 2025, revealing systemic violence, neglect, and law enforcement misconduct. Additionally, there have been at least 10 reported hangings of Black individuals this year alone. Pressley and other progressive lawmakers have characterized these incidents as a 'national crisis,' demanding a thorough, transparent, and comprehensive federal probe under the Emmett Till Antilynching Act of 2022.
