WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden will sign a proclamation on Friday to officially declare the site of the 1908 race riot in Springfield, Illinois a national monument.
A ceremony will be held in at the White House in the Oval Office with civil rights and community leaders in attendance. The designation, however, will not lead to the creation of a marker, which is atypical when an administration designates historical national monuments.
The 1908 Springfield race riot, which happened between Aug. 14 and 16, left eight white people dead, and more than 100 injured. The riot was sparked by a false accusation that a white woman was raped by two Black men. Although it has been documented two Black men were hanged, it’s not known how many Blacks were injured and killed in the riot.
Months after the riot, in February 1909, the NAACP was formed in New York City, and has become the longest-running civil rights organization. Springfield is also the hometown of President Abraham Lincoln.
More about the proclamation ceremony.
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