How the 1908 race riot and Black history reform have risen to the spotlight for Illinois herald-review.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from herald-review.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Springfield is more than Illinois’ state capital. It is more than the city that former United States President Abraham Lincoln called home. This city is also the home of the 1908 Race Riot.
It is important locally to acknowledge all of our histories. In August 1908, after a white woman accused a Black man of rape later recanting her story, a riot ensued. A mob of white residents murdered at least two Black residents, burned Black homes and businesses and attacked hundreds of people merely because of the color of their skin.
That history is not good or pretty. But it is significant, and it should not be buried.