Last updated
January 12, 2009
The year Two Thousand and Eight is the One Hundredth Year Anniversary of the 1908 Race Riots that occurred in Springfield, Illinois. Springfield, Illinois the home of President Abraham Lincoln, the most celebrated president in the world, a place where Black citizens would certainly be safe to live and prosper. Imagine the shock waves throughout this country when rioting against Black citizens happened in Springfield, Illinois. Not in the hometown of President Abraham Lincoln. The rioting by some White citizens in Springfield is commonly referred to as the 1908 Race Riots. The correct name should be called the White Riots of 1908. Some may question or wonder why I referred to the riots as the White Riots. It’s very simple…Black citizens in Springfield were not rioting. Black citizens in Springfield were not burning and destroying homes and businesses. Black citizens in Springfield were not beating and injuring people. Black citizens in Springfield were not cutting the throats or hanging citizens from trees. Mrs. Vesta Victoria Meek Nichols, recently deceased, requested that I let people know that Black citizens in Springfield had absolutely nothing to do with these heinous acts. It should also be known that not every White citizen participated in these atrocities.
Much will be said about this event during the 100th Year Anniversary. How do we properly commemorative this year? I feel we should reflect on the past and evaluate where we are in the present. Most importantly what does the future hold? What really happened on August 14, 1908 in Springfield, Illinois? By now we all know the anatomy of what happened. Have we given any thought to the sociology of what happened? Give yourself a moment to contemplate. Who were the true victims and why?
It is my hope that events commemorating this year will translate into actions that will last another 100 years. Out of this tragic event was born one of the greatest organizations in America. Now…we can all make a difference. The ball is in your court.
Kenneth L. Page
President
Our Mission
The mission of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is to ensure the political, educational, social and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate racial hatred and racial discrimination
Our Vision
The vision of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is to ensure a society in which all individuals have equal rights and there is no racial hatred or racial discrimination.
Objectives
The following statement of objectives is found on the first page of the NAACP Constitution:
The principal objectives of the Association shall be:
- To ensure the political, educational, social and economic equality of all citizens
- To achieve equality of rights and eliminate race prejudice among the citizens of the United States
- To remove all barriers of racial discrimination through democratic processes
- To seek enactment and enforcement of federal, state and local laws securing civil rights
- To inform the public of the adverse effects of racial discrimination and to seek its elimination
- To educate persons as to their constitutional rights and to take all lawful action to secure the exercise thereof, and to take any other lawful action in furtherance of these objectives, consistent with the NAACP’s Articles of Incorporation and this Constitution.
Note: General NAACP
Membership meetings are held on the second Tuesday of the month,
with the exception of July and August, at the Zion Missionary
Baptist Church, 16th & Laurel, at 6:30 p.m.
