President Joe Biden on Friday will establish a national monument to recognize the site of a deadly 1908 race riot in Springfield, Illinois, the White House confirmed.
The anticipated proclamation comes as the result of decades of campaigns from local activists, including the NAACP and the American Civil Liberties Union, and amid a stalled effort in Congress to recognize the historic site.
“On Friday, President Biden will be joined by civil rights leaders, community members, and elected officials in the Oval Office to sign a proclamation to designate the Springfield 1908 Race Riot National Monument,” the White House said in a statement provided to POLITICO’s E&E News. “This week we mark the 116th anniversary of the Springfield 1908 Race Riot, a horrific attack by a white mob on a Black community that civil rights leaders highlighted to spark national action on civil rights.”
The proposed national monument will commemorate the events of Aug. 14, 1908, when a white mob of thousands rioted and killed at least six Black residents and burned blocks of homes and businesses. A total of 107 people were later indicted on charges of riot, arson, larceny and murder. The event also spurred the creation of the NAACP the following year.
