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100 Years After the Springfield Race Riot
By Samuel P. Wheeler | August 14, 2008
Today marks the 100th anniversary of the darkest day in Springfield history. A two-day race riot ravaged Abraham Lincoln’s hometown.
We’ve talked about the race riot before on this site. As I recall, the topic came up during a series of posts on Vachel Lindsay.
Instead of recounting the details of the riot, I want to call your attention to a pair of news stories that mark the grim anniversary.
Over the weekend, NPR ran a very fine piece on the riot, “The Day Lincoln’s Hometown Erupted in Racial Hate.” The article included two photographs from the period, including the one of the state militia at the top of this post, as well as an audio interview with Roberta Senechal de la Roche, who wrote a very fine book about the riot. You can listen to the interview by clicking “Listen Now” at the top of the link.
The second story that caught my eye comes in the form of an editorial in Springfield’s State Journal-Register this morning. “Our Opinion: Race Riot’s Legacy Must at Last be Addressed” confronts the folks who question whether commemorating this horrific event is really a good idea.
The SJ-R will examine the riot in a series of articles over the next few days; “100 Years Ago Today: Riot Not Forgotten” appeared on the front page today.
Topics: Legacy, Museums, Reconstruction | No Comments »