Designation of the Springfield 1908 Race Riot National Monument

WHEREAS, In 1908 in Springfield, Illinois, a racist mob lynched two Black men, attacked Black people, and burned Black homes and businesses, following rumors that a Black man raped a white woman; and

WHEREAS, The 1908 race riot furthered Ida B. Wells' crusade against lynching and led to the founding of the NAACP in 1909; and

WHEREAS, No National Park Unit tells the 1908 Springfield story of mass racial violence; and

WHEREAS, The National Park Service found that Springfield overwhelmingly supports the designation of a National Monument, one that would allow the National Park Service to tell these stories to current and future generations and honor the victims, survivors, and descendants through a Memorial.

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the NAACP requests that President Biden proclaim and designate the area, via the Antiquities Act or Presidential Proclamation, for a national monument devoted to the history of the Springfield, Illinois 1908 Race Riot – a National Monument under the authority of the National Park Service.