13th District Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski joined the group Monuments For All on the steps of the U.S. Capitol yesterday to continue to implore the Biden Administration to recognize the site of the 1908 Race Riot in Springfield with a national monument.
One of Budzinski’s first acts in Congress was joining 16th District Congressman Darin LaHood and Senators Tammy Duckworth and Dick Durbin to recognize the significance of the site with a national monument through the Antiquities Act.
Budzinski says the site has not just a local significance but national importance: “Out of the destruction and devastation that happened in Springfield, Americans came together to form the NAACP, an organization that would lead the charge in the fight for Civil Rights for decades to come. As one of my very first bills as a member of Congress, I introduced bipartisan legislation to make the site of the 1908 Springfield Race Riot a national monument. Today, I’m continuing my call on the Biden Administration to invoke the Antiquities Act and give the site of this event the recognition that it rightfully deserves both for the Springfield community but also for our nation.”
The site was discovered as part of the excavation taking place for the Springfield Rail Improvements Project. Foundations and artifacts from homes destroyed during the race riot were uncovered, and a formal excavation through community partnerships began in 2018. Since then, leaders have been attempting to get the site recognized for its cultural and historical significance to the country.