Some sculptures and monuments are made to honor valor or virtue or achievement, while others, like this one in Springfield, have the aim of keeping alive the memory of shameful or horrendous events.
In this case, the twin shafts, titled 'Acts of Intolerance' and evoking the remaining chimneys of burnt-out houses, mark the site where the 1908 'Springfield Race Riot' began, with white mobs, following inaccurate reports and racist ideas, went on a rampage that brought death and destruction to the city's African-American community.
The events are well-chronicled at Springfield's Central Illinois African-American History Museum, which helps, as does the memorial, to keep alive a memory that Springfield buried for decades, as did other cities where similar events took place.
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