Letter to The Hon. Joseph R. Biden, President-elect of The United States - Duckworth, Durbin Call on President-Elect Biden to Establish 1908 Springfield Race Riot National Monument
Letter
Dear President-elect Biden:
We write to request that upon entering office, and pursuant to the American Antiquities Act of 1906, you declare by public proclamation the 1908 Springfield Race Riot Site in Springfield, Illinois, to be a National Monument. Establishing this National Monument would make sure our Nation never forgets the historic events of national significant that led to the founding of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).
The U.S. Department of the Interior recognized the national and historic significance last year when it designated the 1908 Springfield Race Riot Site as the 30th addition to the African American Civil Rights Network, which Congress established to recognize the importance of the African American civil rights movement and the sacrifices of Americans who fought against discrimination and segregation. Furthermore, the National Park Service conducted a 2019 reconnaissance survey that concluded the archeological site in Springfield, Illinois associated with the 1908 Race Riot likely meets the criteria established by Congress for inclusion in the National Parks System -- a finding the Illinois Senate Delegation strongly concurs with.
Establishing the 1908 Springfield Race Riot National Monument would represent long overdue progress in making sure the National Parks System properly memorializes the historic events of the African-American civil rights movement. The NAACP was instrumental in pushing our Nation forward to form a more perfect union by helping establish justice and working to secure the blessings of liberty for Black Americans. It is time for the United States Government to formally honor and commemorate the NAACP's founding and national legacy of service, sacrifice and leadership by establishing the 1908 Springfield Race Riot Site National Monument in Springfield, Illinois. Thank you in advance for your leadership and consideration of our request.
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