Photo Courtesy of Sangamon Valley Collection, Lincoln Library.
In 1908, a white mob in Springfield, Illinois started a devastating race riot. The mob attacked and lynched Black people and burned their homes. This was one of the country's worst examples of mass racial violence, and led to the founding of the NAACP.
A few years ago, archeologists found the remains and artifacts of some of these homes. This started a campaign to establish this location as a national monument. The National Park Service must protect the site of the 1908 Springfield Race Riot by designating it as a national monument. It is critical that this is done in a way that acknowledges our nation’s terrible history of racial violence and tells the story of the Black leadership to overcome it. Our public lands must represent the diverse American experience.
A burned out building from the 1908 Springfield Race Riot.
Photo Courtesy of Sangamon Valley Collection, Lincoln Library.
Our nation has a long history of race riots, massacres, and lynchings. Despite this, the National Park Service (NPS) does not have any parks or monuments that tell these stories. Stories that represent the diversity of this country and the lived reality of its people, like this one, deserve a place in our history books and among our public monuments.
This history is not told because these stories are not normalized in our society. Doing so would mean confronting our racist legacy and a disruption of the status quo. Textbooks and shows are only now starting to bear witness to the legacy of slavery. Our public lands must bear witness as well.
We need to tell this story because our public lands must tell the full story of the peoples who have called these landscapes home. When we look at our national symbols, we want all people to feel comfortable, safe, and welcome. Our monuments must reflect these critical moments in our country's history.