Biden designates site of race riot as monument
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. –– President Joe Biden designated the site of the 1908 race riot in Springfield, Illinois, as a national monument on Friday, following a yearslong push by local activists to preserve its history.
The proclamation comes during 116th anniversary of the multiday riot, which claimed the lives of at least five people in the city, caused millions of dollars of damage to Black-owned businesses and uprooted thousands of Black people from the city. Two Black men – Scott Burton and William Donnegan – were lynched, and the Illinois National Guard had to be activated to quell the violence.
During a ceremony at the White House, Biden said he saw the monument as a way to educate the public and to prevent similar tragedies from ever happening again.
“We will continue to have no safe harbor unless we continue to remind people what happened,” the president said, adding later, “We can’t let these things fade.”
Joining Biden in the Oval Office were Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth and Rep. Nikki Budzinski, all Democrats. In addition to Republican Rep. Darin LaHood, they were all involved in pushing legislation to create a new national monument. Biden exercised the Antiquities Act to make the monument possible.
Also in attendance were Democratic state Sen. Doris Turner; Ken Page, president of the ACLU Illinois Springfield Chapter; and Austin Randolph Jr., president of the NAACP Springfield chapter. The riot ultimately served as the impetus of the national NAACP in 1909.
“It was a journey of 116 years to get to this day,” Page said in a statement. “The 1908 Springfield Race Riot was tragic. And out of this tragedy was the birth of the National Association for the Advance of Colored People. As we continue this journey, America can continue to live out her creed of liberty, equality, justice and humanity.”
The 1.57 acres of federal land will be managed by the National Park Service, thanks to land donations from the City of Springfield and St. John’s Hospital of the Hospital Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis. More donated land may be needed.
“This proclamation not only aids in safeguarding our historical heritage but also facilitates national introspection, creating advancement within our community,” said Springfield Mayor Misty Buscher. “The establishment of the 1908 Race Riot National Monument serves as a testament to resilience, leadership and the importance of addressing our history with transparency and integrity.”
While working on the Springfield Rail Improvements Project, an archaeological team from Fever River Research, led by Floyd Mansberger, found seven homes, five of which were burned during the riot, and unearthed artifacts from a mid-1800s immigrant neighborhood known as the Badlands. The monument will include the foundations of those five homes.
The riot broke out on Aug. 14, 1908, when a mob called for the lynching of two Black men being held in the Sangamon County Jail.
Contributing: Steven Spearie, Springfield State Journal-Register