Biden designates site of 1908 Springfield race riot a national monument

President Biden is signing a proclamation Friday to establish the Springfield 1908 Race Riot National Monument in Illinois at the site of a deadly attack by a White mob on a Black community 116 years ago. 

By establishing the monument, the White House said the president is recognizing the resilience of the Black community in the face of violent oppression, "at a time when some are working to rewrite history and erase painful moments in our past." The monument site is dotted with historical objects, including five charred homes that were never rebuilt. Mr. Biden's order will protect one-and-a-half acres of federal land in Springfield, mere blocks from the Lincoln Home National Historic Site, where Abraham Lincoln lived before becoming president. 

"Our history is not just about the past, it's about our present and our future," the president said in a statement. "The Springfield 1908 Race Riot National Monument will help us remember an unspeakable attack on the Black community and honor the Americans who came together in its aftermath to help deliver on the promise of civil rights."