Events Remembering the 1908 Race Riot
Ministerial Alliance of Springfield & Vicinity
Contact: Dr. Wes McNeese
8th & Final Solemn Assembly
Saturday August 2, 2008
“2008 YEAR OF RECONCILIATION”
ANNOUNCEMENT
Come and be part of a new chapter in the history of Springfield, Illinois by participating in the 8th and final Solemn Assembly in the 2008 Year of Reconciliation sponsored by the The Ministerial Alliance of Springfield and Vicinity and Praying for Revival All Year (P.R.A.Y.) The Assembly will be held on Saturday August 2, 2008 from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, 815 South 6th Street in Springfield, Illinois.
A march to the Old State Capitol and the 8th - 1908 Race Riot Marker located between Fifth and Sixth Street will immediately follow. This marker is located near the site of the old Sangamon County Courthouse where Joe James, a black man was tried and convicted of the murder of Clergy Ballard. Considered a minor at the time he nonetheless was executed on October 23, 1908. It was also at the courthouse during a grand jury investigation that Mabel Hallam admitted that she fabricated a false rape accusation against George Richardson which helped to spark the 1908 riot and where a grand jury returned 107 indictments against 80 white rioters resulting in one conviction for petty larceny.
The theme for the 8th Solemn Assembly will be on Justice & Mercy. The “2008 Year of Reconciliation” is a series of special monthly events planned to coincide with the city’s commemoration of the 100 year anniversary of the 1908 race riot. The focus of these events is on the spiritual themes of reconciliation and healing. For more information visit the Alliance website at:
Abraham Lincoln Washington to
Address Solemn Assembly
Pastor Abraham Lincoln Washington
SPRINGFIELD- Abraham Lincoln Washington, Pastor of Rock of Our Salvation Evangelical Free Church located on Chicago’s west side, will address the 8th and Final Solemn Assembly in the “2008 Springfield Year of Reconciliation.” The assembly will be held on Saturday, August 2, 2008 from 11:00 a.m. until Noon at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception downtown Springfield. A march to the 1908 Race Riot Marker at the Old State Capitol will immediately follow where prayers focused on the theme of Justice & Mercy will be offered.
“We welcome Pastor Washington to Springfield and look forward to his participation in this spiritual and historical event,” said Sister Mary Jean Traeger, of St. Katherine Drexel Parish and a member of the Ministerial Alliance.
Rock Church was founded in 1983 by Washington’s older brother Raleigh Washington and from the beginning has blazed a trail in the area of racial reconciliation. Located in one of the largest and poorest areas of Chicago, Rock Church forged a partnership with Glen Kehrein, Executive Director of Circle Urban Ministries and together they have offered a holistic approach to ministry addressing both the physical and spiritual needs of the community for over two decades. Racial reconciliation has always been an important part of this relationship as both ministries have sought not only to talk about reconciliation but to actively live it out in a community affected by racial strife. In 1998 Abraham Lincoln Washington became Pastor of Rock Church and the two ministries were joined. More information about their dynamic ministry can be found by visiting www.circleurban.org
Seven previous Solemn Assemblies have been held on the first Saturday of each month since January in the “2008 Springfield Year of Reconciliation”
“God has blessed our prayer efforts over the past months and I sense He has forgiven our sin and is beginning to heal the land. May His name be glorified” said Dr. W.G. Robinson-McNeese, President of the Ministerial Alliance of Springfield.
Designated prayer leaders from Springfield’s faith community will participate in this final assembly. Some of the leaders are Bishop George Lucas, Rev. T. Ray McJunkins, Sister Katherine O’Conner, Leroy Jordan and Pastor Steve Seiple
Mayor Tim Davlin, Chief of Police Ralph Caldwell, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Walter Milton, Jr. and other City Officials have been invited to attend.
State Journal Register's List of Events
Click here for an extensive list of events on the State Journal Register's website.
Solemn Assemblies
Sponsored by the Springfield Ministerial Alliance and P.R.A.Y.
11 a.m. until noon
| Jan 5 | Central Baptist Church |
| February 2 | First Presbyterian Church |
| March 1 | Grace Lutheran Church |
| April 5 | St. John AME Church |
| May 3 | First Presbyterian Church |
| June 7 | International House of Prayer |
| July 5 | First Christian Church |
| August 2 | Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception |
A Summer of Hate
June 2008
An exhibition at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library.
Please check the Library's web site, or here, for additional information as it becomes available.
Springfield Walks
http://www.springfieldwalks.com/
Springfield's 1908 Race Riot Walk - Entire neighborhoods were burned and left in ruin, thousands were displaced, hundreds were wounded, men were shot and killed, other men were lynched in the streets. This 90-minute tour symbolically walks day two of the infamous riot and recounts the tragic history that lead to the formation of the NAACP.
June 7, 14, 21, 28, July 5, 12, 19, 26, August 2, 9, 16, 23, and 30. The 16th will be a special anniversary tour
(This tour involves mature subject matter.)
Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum Web-Site Internship
ALPLM's 2008 internship program will center on developing a multi-media web site commemorating the 1908 riot. See the State Journal Register story for more information:
http://www.sj-r.com/News/stories/26893.asp
Here is the link to the library's Summer Internship program web page:
Sculpture
State of Illinois awards a grant of $300,000 for sculpture commemorating the riot.