SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) - The Springfield and Central Illinois African American History Museum (AAHM) is currently being renovated, but once it re-opens the museum will launch it's new 1908 Race Riot Exhibit. 

AAHM received a nearly $75,000 grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services to fund the exhibit. It will expand on an exhibit once displayed at the ALPLM, titled "Something so Horrible: The Springfield Race Riot of 1908."

"We want to tell the story of the riot," said Carolyn Farrar, Past President and Current Board Member of AAHM. "We also want to go into the lived experiences of those who were here in 1908, what were the factors that initiated this violence, and thirdly, looking at how has that whole event impacted the city of Springfield, even into today, and it is somewhat of an it will be an interactive exhibit with the visitors who come to this museum." 

Farrar added that the museum's proximity to Oak Ridge Cemetery means many visitors to Lincoln's Tomb stop by the museum when they leave. Farrar said many of the people who visit had no prior knowledge of the 1908 Race Riot. 

"Everyone asks how this happens in Mr. Lincoln's hometown?" said Farrar. "He was the great Emancipator and many of the African Americans who came up here ... thought this was going to be their safe haven and it turned out not to be." 

Farrar said the grant funding came at the perfect time as it was right when President Biden designated the Springfield 1908 Race Riot as a National Monument. She said it will correspond well with the Race Riot information provided at the new Transportation Hub. 

"It's a trifecta with the National Monument by the Parks Services and the Transportation hub tied to the Illinois State Museum," said Farrar. 

AAHM is hoping to start their community conversations by the end of November. They are expected to reopen by the end of November, with the event expected to launch by the end of 2026. 

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