Biden establishes national monument at site of 1908 Springfield, Ill., race riot

Aug. 16 (UPI) -- President Joe Biden signed a proclamation Friday establishing the Springfield 1908 Race Riot National Monument in Illinois recognizing one of the most notable moments of racial tension in the country at the time.

The creation of the monument came on the 116th anniversary of the riots that took place Aug. 14- to 16, 1908, in Springfield, Ill., which saw two Black men lynched while nearly three dozen businesses, mostly Black and Jewish establishments were destroyed in the city's Levee neighborhood by a White mob after two Black prisoners were moved instead of being released to them.

"By signing this designation for the Springfield 1908 Race Riot National Monument, we remind ourselves we have to -- we -- we have no safe harbor unless we continue to remind people what happened," Biden said in the Oval Office before signing the proclamation.

"I am an optimist. I'm optimistic about this country because we're good people. But we can't let these things fade," he added.

The administration characterized the national monument as an effort to weave together two important threads in our nation's story -- "the hateful violence targeted against Black Americans, and the power of dedicated individuals to come together across racial lines to transform shock and grief into hope and action."

The monument will protect 1.57 acres of federal land in Springfield including historical objects that detail the riots.

"Over 100 years ago this week, a mob not far from Lincoln's home unleashed a race riot in Springfield that literally shocked the conscience of the nation," the president said Friday. "I mean, it shocked the conscience of the nation. But ... people forgot it as if, you know, it didn't happen. If you listen to some of our colleagues, you'd think, 'Oh, no, no, no. We've never had this problem.'"

The White House said that national outrage over the attack helped spark action around civil rights and led to the creation of what is now known as the NAACP.

"By establishing the Springfield 1908 Race Riot National Monument, President Biden is recognizing the significance of these events and the broader history of the Black community resilience in the face of violent oppression," the White House said.

"President Biden and Vice President [Kamala] Harris are committed to protecting places that help tell a more complete story of our nation's history, including by recognizing difficult moments that have been ignored or obscured for far too long."