Biden designates 1908 Springfield, Ill., race riot site as national monument

“Acts of Intolerance,” sculptures by Preston Jackson representing charred chimneys rising from the rubble of buildings, make up the centennial memorial of the 1908 Race Riot in Springfield, Ill. (John O’Connor / AP file) The riot, which took place in the city where a police officer shot Sonya Massey last month, led to the formation of the NAACP. By The Associated Press President Joe Biden signed a proclamation Aug. 16 of the 1908 race riot, which later fueled the formation of the NAACP. The ceremony was held in the Oval Office and featured civil rights leaders and community leaders from Springfield, President Abraham Lincoln’s hometown. The ceremony comes just 5 1/2 weeks after the shooting death of& Sonya Massey, a 36-year-old Black woman, by a white sheriff’s deputy in her Springfield home after she called 911 for help. Massey’s family members and supporters gathered Wednesday for a news conference in a continuing quest to see that justice is done in prosecuting the deputy, Sean Grayson, who is charged with first-degree murder in her death. “People are starting to take notice because it is an untold story,” Teresa Haley, former president of the Springfield NAACP, said of the riot. “It’s a...