Springfield, IL (CAPITOL CITY NOW) – The University of Illinois Springfield (UIS) has been chosen to write the historical content for a permanent exhibit on the 1908 Springfield race riot.
According to a news release, the Illinois State Museum Society awarded the contract to a team from UIS’s Center for Lincoln Studies and History Department. The exhibit will be part of the new Springfield Sangamon County Transportation HUB, currently under construction downtown and scheduled to open in 2027.
“We are currently engaged in new research on the race riot. This gives the exhibit the potential of bringing a fresh perspective to the topic,” said Jacob Friefeld, UIS Center for Lincoln Studies director, in the news release. “We prioritize collaborative and reflective practices that will result in a final product that centers the voices of victims, survivors, resisters and hopefully descendants and descendant communities.”
Through the Legacy of Resilience Project, the news release says, the UIS team will examine the causes and lasting impact of the violence that killed at least six people and destroyed dozens of homes and businesses—while highlighting the strength and achievements of Springfield’s Black community.
The 1908 events helped lead to the founding of the NAACP the following year.
Brian Mitchell, public humanities fellow at the Center for Lincoln Studies, was a guest Tuesday on the WTAX Morning Newswatch.
