[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today joined President Joe Biden in the Oval Office for the President’s signing ceremony to officially declare the 1908 Springfield Race Riot Site as a national monument to be managed by the U.S. National Park Service through an Antiquities Act proclamation. Duckworth has been a steadfast leader in securing national monument recognition for the 1908 Springfield Race Riot Site, a critical event in American history that spurred the creation of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). With less than a quarter of National Parks devoted to recognizing the histories of diverse peoples and cultures, designating the 1908 Race Riot Site a national monument will help guarantee that public lands reflect the diversity of our country.
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“The 1908 Springfield Race Riot site is of extraordinary cultural and historical importance to our state and to this country—a searing, horrific incident that galvanized the creation of the NAACP,” Duckworth said. “I’ve been working for years to designate this site as a national monument to help ensure the painful lessons learned here will not be lost for the generations of Americans to come. I’m proud that President Biden took action to help ensure this history is properly honored and making our national parks better reflect our nation’s people and stories.”
116 years ago this week, a violent mob of white residents murdered at least six Black Americans, burned down Black homes and businesses and attacked hundreds of residents for no other reason than the color of their skin. Duckworth began calling for national monument recognition in 2018, first leading the Springfield 1908 Race Riot National Monument Act, with U.S Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), in 2019 and again in 2021. Last year they re-introduced the legislation, which was reported favorably out of committee, with U.S. Representative Nikki Budzinski (D-IL-13) introducing companion legislation in the House.
During an excavation as part of the Springfield High Speed Rail project, foundations and artifacts from homes destroyed during the riot were uncovered. An agreement with community members was reached in 2018 to excavate the remains and designate the uncovered site a memorial.
Duckworth has made elevating disenfranchised communities and their stories one of her main priorities while in Congress. Last year, after continued efforts from Duckworth, the Biden Administration designated the church that held Emmett Till’s pivotal open-casket wake in Chicago’s Bronzeville neighborhood as a national monument. Duckworth’s leadership was critical in the site designation, originally introducing the Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley, and Roberts Temple National Historic Site Act in 2021 and again in 2023.
Community Leaders Celebrate Springfield 1908 Race Riot National Monument Designation
Today, with Springfield community leaders present, President Joe Biden used his authority under the Antiquities Act to designate the Springfield 1908 Race Riot National Monument, making it the first national monument to tell the story of Black agency in the face of racially motivated massacres. In addition to elected officials and Biden Administration leaders, attendees to the signing included Ken Page, president of the ACLU Illinois Springfield Chapter, Austin Randolph, Jr., president of the NAACP Springfield chapter, Erin Carlson Mast, president and CEO of Lincoln Presidential Foundation, and Floyd Mansberger, archeologist for Springfield-based Fever River Research.
“It was a journey of 116 years to get to this day,” said Page. “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 Springfield 1908 Race Riot National Monument documents one of the worst examples of mass racial violence, where a White mob attacked and lynched Black residents of Springfield and burned their homes and businesses within blocks of the former home of President Abraham Lincoln. As a result of the horrific events and with the help of civil rights leader Ida B. Wells-Barnett, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) was formed in 1909.
“We must remember, resolve and restore,” said Randolph. “The 1908 Springfield Race Riot should live in our hearts and minds forever as a constant reminder of man’s capacity for cruelty. Within this struggle lies the desire for equity, peace and healing. This national monument will forever stand for freedom and justice. It will be our solemn reminder of where we came from as it propels us towards where we are destined to be: equal.”
Advocacy from Springfield community members for a national monument began shortly after 2014 when an archaeological dig for a high-speed-rail project uncovered the foundations of five houses that burned down in the riot, along with artifacts from their occupants. The designation follows the completion of a congressionally directed special resource study completed in June 2023, which received comments from more than 5,400 Black church leaders, conservationist and religious organizations in support of national monument designation. A recent public meeting June 10, hosted by the U.S. Department of the Interior at Union Baptist Church in Springfield, was attended by more than 300 Springfield community members in support of the designation.
“As a proud partner of the National Park Service at Lincoln Home National Historic Site, we recognize the connections between these sites and stories,” said Mast. “The establishment of the NAACP on Abraham Lincoln's birthday in 1909 underscored the enduring link between Lincoln's legacy and the struggle for freedom and equality. The mob violence was local, but the impact has been national. We look forward to working together to ensure the preservation, interpretation, and commemoration of this important place in American history for generations to come.”
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