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Biden to Establish National Monument for Springfield Race Riot
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Joe Biden is set to announce a national monument on Friday to honor the victims of a race riot that occurred in Springfield, Illinois, in 1908. This tragic incident resulted in several fatalities, numerous injuries, and widespread destruction of Black-owned businesses and homes.
The unrest, which erupted in August of that year, was sparked by tensions surrounding two Black men who were wrongfully accused of a crime. Mobs of white residents unleashed their fury on the Black community after local authorities discreetly transferred the accused from the jail, fueling the violence that ensued.
This incident was a significant catalyst for the establishment of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in 1909, underscoring its role in the civil rights movement.
According to White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, the designation ceremony will take place in the Oval Office, attended by civil rights advocates and community leaders from Springfield, the hometown of former President Abraham Lincoln.
The White House emphasized that the new national monument aims to commemorate the brutal assault by the white mob on the African American community. It will serve as a powerful reminder of the systemic racism, intimidation, and violence that have historically plagued Black Americans nationwide.
This announcement comes in the wake of renewed dialogue surrounding police violence against Black citizens, following the July shooting of Sonya Massey, a 36-year-old Black woman, by a white sheriff’s deputy in her own home after she dialed 911 for assistance.
The tragic death of Massey has galvanized discussions about police brutality, echoing sentiments from the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder in Minneapolis four years earlier, which sparked nationwide protests calling for racial justice and equality.
During a visit in June 2021, President Biden became the first sitting U.S. president to reflect on the events of the Tulsa race massacre in Oklahoma, where a white mob killed hundreds of Black residents in 1921. He remarked on the enduring impact of racial violence and white supremacy in America.
That same month, Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris enacted legislation to recognize June 19 as a federal holiday, celebrating the emancipation of enslaved Black Americans.
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