Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia: Using objects of intolerance to teach tolerance and promote social justice.
Current News
Book - Understanding Jim Crow
William Mahone
Niggerhead Oysters
Alligator Bait Revisited
After many questions from other researchers and media organizations, we decided to revisit the Alligator bait "concept" and see if any new information could be discovered. Read about the latest findings in this months Question of the Month.
William Gibson
From 1910 through 1928, a number of African American students attended Ferris Institute; many of them came from Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute (known today as Hampton University). Many of these men were pioneers and trailblazers in their fields.
Percy Fitzgerald
Russell Dixon
From 1910 through 1928, a number of African American students attended Ferris Institute; many of them came from Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute (known today as Hampton University). Many of these men were pioneers and trailblazers in their fields.
David Pilgrim & Logan Jaffe chat
Read the chat with David Pilgrim and Logan Jaffe of the New York Times about how to reconcile, reclaim and reinterpret racist objects. Chat occurred on Wednesday, December 14, 2016.
Video Spotlight
Tour the Jim Crow museum with founder and curator, Dr. David Pilgrim. Dr. Pilgrim
discusses some of the major themes of the Jim Crow Museum. Jim Crow was not just a
character or a set of "laws", it was a system that built upon itself to create and
sustain a society with a racial hierarchy.
Watch a video of the Jim Crow Museum: History, Purpose and Vision
Traveling Exhibits
Hateful Things
From Aunt Jemima advertisements to the board game Ghettopoly, American popular culture is replete with racist images. The Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia features an extensive collection of racist objects that trace the history of the stereotyping of African Americans.
THEM: Images of Separation
"THEM: Images of Separation," is a traveling exhibition that showcases items from popular culture used to stereotype different groups. The negative imagery -- found on postcards, license plates, games, souvenirs and costumes -- promoted stereotyping against such groups as Asian-Americans, Hispanics, Jews and poor whites, as well as those who are "other" in terms of body type or sexual orientation.
Special Features
- Jim Crow Museum Brochure (PDF)
- Aunt Jemima "I'se in town, Honey!" (Video)
- Ben Chester White Story
- Orangeburg Massacre
- James Reeb Story
- Viola Liuzzo Story
- Sheet Music Montage
- Johnnie Mae Chappell Story
- Blackening Up (Video)
- Lesson Plans
- "Jump Jim Crow" (Video)
- List of Jim Crow Laws
Notable Visits
- Malaak Shabazz Visits the Jim Crow Museum
- Henry Louis Gates Jr. Visits the Jim Crow Museum
- Australian Academics Visit the Jim Crow Museum
- H2 ‘10 Things You Don’t Know About’ with Henry Rollins
…and it doesn't stop
The battle continues as racial images and items are produced daily. Objects with racist themes are created, produced, and sold weekly in the United States.
Museum Information
The Jim Crow Museum is open and is FREE to the public. The Museum features six exhibit areas -- Who and What is Jim Crow, Jim Crow Violence, Jim Crow and Anti-Black Imagery, Battling Jim Crow Imagery, Attacking Jim Crow Segregation, and Beyond Jim Crow.
The Museum also offers a comprehensive timeline of the African American experience in the United States. The timeline is divided into six sections: Africa Before Slavery, Slavery in America, Reconstruction, Jim Crow, Civil Rights and Post Civil Rights.
The Jim Crow Museum at Ferris State University strives to become a leader in social activism and in the discussion of race and race relations. This facility will provide increased opportunities for education and research. Please join us as we embark on this mission.
Regular hours are Monday thru Friday 12-5 p.m. Extended hours will be every other weekend from 12-5 as the campus calendar allows. Please consult the calendar. Group tours, please continue to make an appointment. To schedule a tour, please contact the museum at (231) 591-5873 or at jimcrowmuseum@ferris.edu. Please refer to the calendar of events for availability.
Mission and Objectives of the Jim Crow Museum
The mission of the Jim Crow Museum is to use objects of intolerance to teach tolerance and promote social justice.
The Museum's mission is achieved through the following objectives:
- Collect, exhibit and preserve objects and collections related to racial segregation, anti-black caricatures, civil rights, and African American achievement.
- Promote the scholarly examination of historical and contemporary expressions of racism.
- Serve as a teaching resource for Ferris State University courses which deal, directly or indirectly, with the issues of race and ethnicity.
- Serve as an educational resource for scholars and teachers at the state, national and international levels.
- Promote racial understanding and healing.
- Serve as a resource for civil rights and human rights organizations.
Museum Policy Update
For Children Visitors to the Jim Crow Museum Policy, please see Contact page.
Visitors to the Jim Crow Museum are prohibited from photographing or video recording any portions of the Museum.
Exceptions to this policy can be made at the sole discretion of Museum staff and might include special events, scholars who have made arrangements in advance of their visits, and credentialed members of the press.
