Release Date: 8/16/24
Media Contact: Emily Thompson,
Em************@pr********.org,
202-758-3936
The Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks Celebrates the Designation of the Springfield 1908 Race Riot National Monument
Today, President Biden used his authority under the Antiquities Act to designate the Springfield 1908 Race Riot National Monument.
Following the announcement, Phil Francis, Chair of the Executive Council of the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks, issued the following statement:
“We thank President Biden for designating the Springfield 1908 Race Riot National Monument. This monument will help to fill a critical gap in the National Park System, which currently does not have parks that tell the story of race riots, the founding of the NAACP, or the story of Ida B. Wells-Barnett.
It is important that our public lands tell the full American story. This designation will help to ensure that the story of one of the worst examples of mass racial violence in our country’s history, and the courage of Black leaders who founded the NAACP in response, will be protected for future generations.”
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The Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks represents over 2,700 current, former, and retired employees and volunteers of the National Park Service, with over 50,000 collective years of stewardship of America’s most precious natural and cultural resources. Recognized as the Voices of Experience, the Coalition educates, speaks, and acts for the preservation and protection of the National Park System, and mission-related programs of the National Park Service. More information can be found at https://protectnps.org