US Rep. urges Biden to make the 1908 Springfield Race Riot site a national monument

U.S. Rep. Nikki Budzinski, D-Springfield, is calling for the 1908 Springfield Race Riot site to become a national monument.

During an April 16 press conference, Budzinski was joined by Monuments for All in front of the U.S Capitol, to urge President Joe Biden to invoke the Antiquities Act and recognize the race riot location as a monument.

“Today I’m continuing my call on the Biden administration to invoke the Antiquities Act and give the site of this event the recognition that it rightfully deserves,” said Budzinski. "Both for the Springfield community but also for our nation."

During the Springfield Rail Improvements Project, parts of homes and artifacts that were destroyed during the riots were found.

In 2018 an agreement was reached with community members to excavate the remains and designate the site as a memorial.

The 1908 Springfield Race Riot started when a mob called for the lynching of two black men that were being held in the Sangamon County Jail Joe James and George Richardson. However, after it was discovered that a local restauranter had taken both James and Richardson to Bloomington, his business was burned down, and this was the start of the violence.

During the riot a mob of about 5,000 white residents attacked the black community, destroying businesses and homes forcing up to 2,000 black people to leave Springfield. There were at least 11 deaths, but different numbers have been reported.

More: The 1908 Springfield Race Riot: An unseemly chapter of Springfield history

The aftermath of the riot is what led to the rise of the NAACP in 1909.

Lead Pastor at Union Baptist Church in Springfield, the Rev. T. Ray McJunkins, echoed Budzinski's comments.

“The site of the 1908 Springfield Race Riots, which documents a racial massacre that was a catalyst for the formation of the NAACP, would be a valuable addition to the National Park System,” McJunkins said. "Malcolm X once said, ‘Education is the passport to the future.’ I sincerely believe that highlighting the story of Springfield through a National Monument would be a passport that will never expire.”

One of the first bills Budzinski introduced was bipartisan legislation with the U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood, D-Dunlap, and U.S Sens. Tammy Duckworth, D-Illinois, and Dick Durbin, D-Illinois, to recognize the location as a national monument.

Contact Hope Gadson: [email protected]

This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Lawmaker urgers Biden to make 1908 Springfield Race Riot site a national monument