Circled by Democratic lawmakers, civil rights leaders, and community members from behind the White House Resolute desk, President Joe Biden designated a national monument on Aug. 16 in memory of a 1908 race riot in Springfield, Illinois.
“Over 100 years ago, this week, a mob not far from Lincoln’s home unleashed a race riot in Springfield, and that really shocked the conscience of the nation,” Biden said while signing the proclamation.
The White House said in a statement that the monument will “tell the story of a horrific attack by a white mob on a Black community that was representative of the racism, intimidation, and violence that Black Americans experienced across the country.”…
