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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The 1908 Springfield Race Riot (the Riot) started
3on August 14 when a white mob attempted to lynch two Black
4inmates in the Sangamon County Jail; the mob discovered the
5two inmates had been transferred out of Springfield and went
6on a rampage that ended in the death of at least sixteen people
7and the destruction of many Black homes and businesses; the
8riots ended after two days when the state militia quelled the
9violence; and
 
10    WHEREAS, Black residents, who fought in self-defense to
11protect their property and themselves, were brutally attacked;
12during and immediately following the Riot, nearly 2,000 Black
13residents fled the City, and most did not return; and
 
14    WHEREAS, Personal and property damages from the riots,
15suffered overwhelmingly by Black citizens, amounted to more
16than $4 million in a current valuation; and
 
17    WHEREAS, In February of 1909, civil rights leaders formed
18the National Negro Committee in New York City, New York in
19response to the Riot; this Committee would later become the
20National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
21(NAACP); and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, In 2008, the City of Springfield erected
2historical markers across the City and a memorial statue to
3commemorate the 100th year anniversary of the Riot; and
 
4    WHEREAS, During an excavation as part of the Springfield
5High-Speed Rail project, foundations and artifacts from homes
6destroyed during the 1908 Springfield Race Riot were
7uncovered; in 2018, an agreement with community members was
8reached to excavate the remains and designate the uncovered
9site a memorial; and
 
10    WHEREAS, In 2019, the National Park Service conducted a
11reconnaissance survey that concluded that the archeological
12site in Springfield, Illinois associated with the 1908 Race
13Riot likely meets the criteria established by Congress for
14inclusion in the National Parks System; and
 
15    WHEREAS, In 2019, Illinois Senators Tammy Duckworth and
16Dick Durbin introduced the Springfield Race Riot Monument Act
17to establish the Springfield Race Riot National Historic
18Monument and to help increase the number of National Parks
19devoted to recognizing the histories of diverse peoples and
20cultures; and
 
21    WHEREAS, In August of 2020, The U.S. Department of the
22Interior recognized the national and historic significance of

 

 

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1the Riot when it designated the 1908 Springfield Race Riot
2Site as the 30th addition to the African American Civil Rights
3Network; and
 
4    WHEREAS, The NAACP was instrumental in pushing our Nation
5forward by helping establish justice and working to secure
6liberty for Black Americans; it is time for the United States
7Government to formally honor and commemorate the NAACP's
8founding and national legacy of service; and
 
9    WHEREAS, Establishing the 1908 Springfield Race Riot
10National Monument would represent long overdue progress in
11making sure the National Parks System properly memorializes
12the historic events of the African-American civil rights
13movement; therefore, be it
 
14    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
15HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
16we urge President Joe Biden and other federal leaders to
17designate the 1908 Race Riot Sites in Springfield, Illinois as
18a national monument to be managed by the National Park
19Service; and be it further
 
20    RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
21presented to President Joe Biden and the entire Illinois
22Congressional Delegation.