SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) - The story of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre is sobering and it doesn't paint a pretty picture of American history.
Exactly a century ago, a white mob destroyed a community known as "Black Wall Street." An estimate of 300 Black people were killed, hundreds were injured and homes were burned to the ground.
Tulsa was not the first or the only race riot in American history.
On August 14, 1908, a white mob destroyed Black neighborhoods in Springfield. History shows a white woman accused a Black man of sexually assaulting her. She later recanted her story, but the damage was already done.
Homes and businesses were looted and destroyed. Black Springfield residents were lynched.
The 1908 race riot shocked the nation because it happened in Abraham Lincoln's hometown. That riot is the reason why the NAACP was created.
The city's ugly truth is a story Teresa Haley wants preserved in central Illinois. Haley is the president of the NAACP-Illinois branch.
"There were three times as many Black people in Springfield in 1908 than there are today," said Haley, who believes the nation has "come so far, but we haven't really come far at all."
The Springfield resident said her family escaped the city as soon as possible. The riot lasted for two days. It was so bad, Gov. Charles Deneen sent in the National Guard.
"History has to start somewhere and it's horrible events like the 1908 race riot and now, 100 years later, we're talking about Tulsa's riot," Haley said.
Throughout Springfield, one can find monuments recognizing the city's past. Haley mentioned how five additional houses from riots were recently discovered. This occurred while the city of Springfield was preparing for its high-speed rail.
In the end, the 1908 race riot serves as lesson to never repeat that kind of history.
"There's still work to be done and you need to be a part of that work," Haley said.
President Joe Biden is expected to make an appearance in Tulsa on Tuesday. The 1921 riot lasted for two days.
