Biden Designates Springfield’s 1908 Race Riot as National Monument

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — President Joe Biden is scheduled to sign a proclamation on Friday to establish a national monument at the site of the 1908 race riot in Springfield, Illinois. This tragic event played a significant role in the founding of the NAACP.

Biden is expected to address attendees at 11:15 a.m. EDT. The event will take place in the Oval Office with civil rights and community leaders hailing from Springfield, known as the hometown of President Abraham Lincoln.

The announcement follows the recent shooting death of Sonya Massey, a 36-year-old Black woman, by a white sheriff’s deputy while she sought help by calling 911. Just this past Wednesday, family members and supporters of Massey held a news conference, continuing their fight for justice for her and calling for accountability for Deputy Sean Grayson, who faces first-degree murder charges.

“People are starting to take notice because it is an untold story,” stated Teresa Haley, former president of the Springfield NAACP. “It’s a deep, dark, dirty secret that Springfield is scared of.”

Haley expressed the tragic timing of the announcement, highlighting the importance of recognizing Massey by saying, “Let’s say her name — Sonya Massey. If it takes the president, the vice president, and everyone else to acknowledge this, it’s about time.” Haley is also the founder of Visions 1908, a group focused on civil rights, social justice, and education.

This new designation by Biden does not automatically create a physical marker on the site. However, there is a memorial already in Union Square Park dedicated to the centennial of the riot. Haley has been advocating for a larger, reflective memorial at the site where five original homes, destroyed during the riots, were uncovered in 2014. That project is currently awaiting funding.

The events of August 1908 unfolded when mobs of white residents rampaged through the Illinois capital, claiming to deliver justice against two Black men. One was imprisoned on a sexual assault charge involving a white woman, while the other faced charges related to a murder involving a white man. After authorities discreetly evacuated the prisoners to a safer location, the mob unleashed their anger on the city’s Black community.

Over a few days, the violence escalated, resulting in the lynching of two innocent Black men along with the destruction of homes and businesses in predominantly Black neighborhoods. Families were driven from their homes as chaos ensued.

To regain control, the National Guard was deployed, yet many of the white rioters were later acquitted. Reports from that time indicate that while at least eight white individuals lost their lives and over 100 were injured, the number of injured or killed among the Black community remains unknown.

In the aftermath of the riot and spurred by the violence, civil rights leaders convened in New York, choosing the centennial of Lincoln’s birthday on February 12, 1909, as the date to establish the NAACP. The organization’s founding board included prominent scholar W.E.B. DuBois.

Sontae Massey, a relative of Sonya Massey, discussed the family’s historical ties to this tragedy. He remarked on their descent from William Donegan, an 84-year-old cobbler lynched on the first night of the riots. “It’s ironic that we are now at the very foundation of what this family has stood for for hundreds of years,” he said. “We will continue to make change across America. This is just the beginning.”

This Springfield riot occurred over a decade before a series of documented race-related attacks during the summer of 1919, known as “Red Summer,” which saw widespread violence against Black communities, including the devastating Tulsa massacre in 1921. Biden previously acknowledged this landmark event during a visit to Tulsa in 2021.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre characterized the Springfield riot as a “horrific attack by a white mob on a Black community.” She emphasized that civil rights leaders have worked to bring awareness to this historical event and encourage comprehensive action on civil rights. Further details regarding the official announcement are expected from the White House on Friday.

In 2020, the site of the race riot was included in the National Park Service’s African American Civil Rights Network to acknowledge the historical significance of the Civil Rights Movement.

“The 1908 Springfield race riot showcases our nation’s troubling legacy of racial violence while also illuminating the strength and resilience of Black Americans in the ongoing struggle for civil rights,” noted U.S. Rep. Nikki Budzinski, who urged Biden to make the designation. She emphasized the importance of this announcement in honoring the lives lost during the 1908 atrocities and acknowledging the lasting impact of this tragic event.

Source: Associated Press