Springfield, Illinois – President Joe Biden signed a proclamation on Friday designating the site of the 1908 Springfield Race Massacre as a national monument, marking a significant step in acknowledging a dark chapter of American history.
For two nights in August 1908, a White mob rampaged through Springfield, Illinois, looting, burning, and destroying Black-owned homes and businesses in what became known as the Springfield Massacre. The violence resulted in the lynching of two Black men and left a lasting impact, ultimately fueling the creation of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the nation’s oldest civil rights organization.
During the Oval Office ceremony, Biden emphasized the importance of preserving the history of such events, particularly at a time when there is a movement to “literally erase history” by limiting the teaching of America’s complex and often racist past in schools. “So our children, our grandchildren, everybody understands what happened – and what can still happen,” Biden remarked, underscoring the need to keep these stories alive.
Biden was joined by Illinois Senators Tammy Duckworth and Dick Durbin, as well as NAACP President Derrick Johnson, who noted the 1908 riots as a catalyst for the NAACP and a broader recognition of the dangers posed by racial and ethnic divisions in American democracy.
Duckworth, a key advocate for the monument’s designation, expressed hope that the recognition would help ensure that the painful lessons from the Springfield Massacre would not be forgotten by future generations. The designation comes on the 116th anniversary of the massacre, a poignant reminder of the ongoing struggles for racial justice in the United States.
The ceremony took place against the backdrop of renewed racial tensions in Springfield, following the recent shooting of Sonya Massey, an unarmed Black woman, by a White sheriff’s deputy. Massey’s death has sparked widespread calls for racial justice, echoing the sentiments that followed the 1908 riots.
Kathryn Harris, a local historian and former director of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, highlighted the irony of Springfield, the hometown of “The Great Emancipator” Lincoln, becoming a focal point of national conversations around racial justice once again. “We still have lots of work to do to improve race relations, but we won’t give up,” Harris said.
The Springfield Massacre is part of a larger pattern of White-on-Black violence that characterized the early 20th century in the United States. The massacre in Springfield was followed by similar attacks in other cities, culminating in the “Red Summer” of 1919, when White mobs targeted Black communities across the country, often focusing on Black veterans returning from World War I.
Despite some progress in teaching the history of race riots in schools, many of these events and sites remain unrecognized. Local activists, including Teresa Haley, former president of the Springfield chapter of the NAACP, have worked tirelessly to preserve the legacy of the Springfield Massacre. Haley’s efforts, particularly through the Visions 1908 project, have led to the uncovering of the foundations of homes destroyed during the riots and have played a crucial role in the push to have the site recognized as a national monument.
“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,” Haley said. She hopes that the new monument will serve as a powerful reminder of the massacre’s legacy, allowing people to confront this painful chapter of history and ensuring that it is not forgotten.
As the nation grapples with its past and the ongoing struggle for racial justice, the designation of the Springfield Race Massacre site as a national monument is a significant step in preserving and honoring the memory of those who suffered during one of the darkest moments in American history.
