As you may know - over a century ago Springfield underwent what is called the 1908 Race Riot. It was a day of lynching and upset - many black people were attacked after two back-to-back reports of assaults on white women by black men induced an angry mob.
The two men lynched however were not the ones alleged of assault, and many other black people were targeted for violence. At least seven died. It's a stain on our history's past - but it resulted in the foundation of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and many say it's not an event to be forgotten. Those people include Shelly Heideman and Leroy Jordan, they joined me for this interview at Calvary Baptist Church on the east side of Springfield:
