East St. Louis Race Massacre, July 1917
CITY:
East St. Louis
COUNTY:
St. Clair
DEDICATED BY:
The East St. Louis Historical Society, the Illinois State Historical Society, the William G. Pomeroy Foundation, and Local Donors and Supporters
DEDICATION DATE:
July 2, 2023 at 5:00:00 AM
The marker is located on the Wyvetter Younge Higher Education Campus of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville at 601 James R. Thompson Blvd., East St. Louis, IL
One of American history’s most violent race riots took place here on July 2, 1917. Hundreds of citizens were brutalized in a day of death, burning, and destruction. White rioters lynched, shot, and burned innocent blacks, burned their homes, and cast their bodies into the water. Thousands fled the city.
The Illinois attorney general estimated the death toll was probably one hundred. The actual number will never be known. Some elected officials, who were sworn to protect the public, joined in the carnage. Others ignored the violence unfolding in front of them. It took 12 hours for the Illinois State Militia to restore order.
Congress investigated and issued a scathing report about corruption and lawlessness in East St. Louis. W. E. B. Du Bois led the NAACP’s investigation. Marcus Garvey and Theodore Roosevelt spoke out on the atrocity. Ida B. Wells visited the riot scene. After helping displaced blacks, she provided a first-hand account to the Negro Fellowship League in Chicago.
The white rioter who organized the shooters was sentenced to prison. Most others escaped justice. However, Dr. Leroy Bundy, a black man, received a life sentence for causing the race riot. The Illinois Supreme Court recognized the injustice and remanded the case, functionally setting him free.
Limited reparations were paid in 1921 mainly for white business owners. The community still searches for justice.