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3 Hot Days in August

ISM-Springfield
3 hot days in August. A city wide observance of the 1908 Springfield race riot. August 14 through 16, 2025. A Black fire fighter douses the smoldering remains of a home that was attacked in 1908. Reflect. Remember. Reclaim. “3 Hot Days in August” is a powerful, citywide observance honoring the legacy of the 1908 Springfield Race Riot, a pivotal event that helped lead to the founding of the NAACP. Join us for presentations, walking tours, a film screening, and community ceremonies as we reflect, reclaim, and remember history. We hope you’ll join us as we reckon with the past and work together toward a more just and equitable future.
Saturday, August 16, 2025
09:30 AM to 05:00 PM CDT

Itinerary for Saturday, August 16

9:30 AM – Old State Capitol State Historic Site, 1 Old State Capitol Plaza (Starts at the Lincoln Statues at 6th and Adams)
• IDNR Historic Sites, 1908 Race Riot Walking Tour

2:30 PM – Springfield and Central Illinois African American History Museum, 1440 Monument Ave.
Featured Presentation:
• Ken Page, President of the Springfield Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)

3:00–5:00 PM – Closing Reception


Thank you to our partners:
Springfield Branch NAACP
Springfield African American History Museum
National Park Service
HSHS St. John's Hospital
Illinois State Museum
Illinois State Museum Society
Illinois Department of Natural Resources
Fever River Research
Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum
Sangamon Experience
UIS Center for Lincoln Studies
Hanson Professional Services, Inc.

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