President Biden Designates Site Of 1908 Springfield Race Riots A National Monument

The site designation will ensure the remembrance of the race riots and their place in Black history.

President Joe Biden has officially made the site of the 1908 Springfield Race Riots a national monument. The designation will ensure the remembrance of of the riots and those it impacted.

Biden signed a proclamation on the site’s new federal status on Aug. 16, as reported by CNN. The site’s designation recognizes its importance in Black history, especially amid the ongoing movement to not teach the darker parts of America’s past.

“Over 100 years ago this week, a mob not far from Lincoln’s home unleashed a race riot in Springfield that literally shocked the conscience of the nation,” Biden said. “A lot of people forgot it. … We can’t let these things fade.”

The moment coincided with the riots’ 116th anniversary. From Aug. 14 to 16 in 1908, the Black residents of Springfield, Illinois, lost their homes and businesses after a white mob attacked. The race riot, initiated by a white woman’s claim that a Black man raped her, also resulted in the lynchings of two Black men. NPR reported that the woman later admitted to lying about the assault.

However, the mob’s looting and burning of the Black-owned business in Springfield severely stunted the area. The lynchings also resulted in Black Americans creating the NAACP as the fight for racial justice grew. The organization’s current President, Derrick Johnson, also attended the ceremony at the Oval Office.

“It was a catalyst, not only for the creation of the NAACP… but the catalyst to recognize that the political tool of race and ethnic difference and othering is more harmful to our democracy than it should be,” said Johnson prior to the historic signing.

The Vision 1908 project also works to recognize those who endured this tragedy. The project gained traction following the 2014 discovery of homes impact by the riots. Teresa Haley, a former president of the NAACP’s Springfield Chapter, believes the site designation will allow many to find healing.

“The people in Springfield can truly begin to heal because it’s been a deep, dark secret that no one wanted to talk about except for those of us in the Black community who were directly impacted by the 1908 riots,” expressed Haley.

She added, “It’s going to allow people to say, ‘Oh my God, this happened right here in Springfield on the ground in which I’m standing.’ This is Springfield’s history, it’s Illinois history and it’s American history.”

The city continues to deal with racial tensions, currently reeling from a white officer’s killing of Sonya Massey in July. An investigation into her death remains ongoing. In the meantime, Haley plans to further recognize the riots’ history with a monument in the area.