Caribbean-American Democratic Congresswoman Yvette Clarke and colleagues, led by Massachusetts Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, have written to the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), demanding a ‘thorough, transparent, and comprehensive’ federal investigation into the numerous incidents of Black people found hanging across the country. Clarke, the daughter of Jamaican immigrants, who represents the 9th Congressional District in Brooklyn, New York, told the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC) on Wednesday that the letter follows a series of deaths that raise ‘suspicion of foul play given the role of lynching in American history.
‘The growing number of Black people found hanging in public is a national crisis,’ said the chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, pointing to a recent report that documented more than 70 modern-day lynchings in the United States between 2000 and 2025.
In 2026 alone, Clarke said there have already been at least 10 reported hangings of Black people.
She said they were as young as 18 years old and lived in different parts of the country, including Mississippi, Michigan and New York.
Clarke said many families have publicly questioned the conclusions of local and state investigations.
‘Inaction by the federal government is tantamount to complicity,’ says the letter addressed to Attorney General Todd W. Blanche and FBI Director Kash Patel. ‘This is part of the legacy of racial terror in the United States, and this neglect has long-term consequences.
‘Not only are innocent lives lost, but lynching inflicts deep traumatic and psychological wounds on family members, neighbors, and the entire black community,’ it adds, noting that Congress enacted the Emmett Till Antilynching Act in 2022 ‘to ensure the DOJ and FBI are empowered to fully investigate suspicious deaths and hold individuals accountable.
‘It is incumbent upon you to do just that,’ the letter continued, demanding ‘a thorough, transparent and comprehensive federal investigation into every hanging death of a Black individual across the United States.
‘At a minimum, each investigation, with permission of the decedents’ families, should include an independent autopsy, an audit of local and state law enforcement investigations, review of physical and testimonial evidence, and a final report submitted to Congress explaining the agency’s findings,’ the letter urges.
It also calls for ‘robust data collection that tracks the hanging deaths of Black people transparently and systematically.’
‘We would appreciate the opportunity for our offices to connect with your teams at regular, scheduled intervals to share updates, feedback, and concerns from the broader community, as appropriate,’ the lawmakers requested.