Right in the center of the room is a lynching tree.
But no one under 12 can come into the museum by themselves, and we discourage parents from bringing them. At what age do you think it’s okay to expose children to this stuff?ĭP: I believe that young people-8, 9, 10-should have discussions appropriate to their age about race. MJ: I found myself hiding your book from my kids. We want our museum to be safe but uncomfortable. But Americans don’t often talk about it in places where their ideas are challenged. Maybe you'll find something to take back that will reminder you of all. As you enjoy your cup of joe, browse through our unique selection of Newfoundland Art and Craft. While savouring a bowl of soup or chili you just might see a whale playing in the bay. Secondly, the reason we still have these discussions is because race still matters. We go to the ends of the earth to bring you tasty treats made here at the Crow's Nest Cafe. There’s not an image in the museum that’s not being reproduced in some way. And my answer is: The objects are still being made, they’re still being sold and distributed. MJ: Do you see a role for your collection in today’s movement for racial equality?ĭP: One of the questions I get often is why we’re still having these conversations. But by far the biggest segment are speculators who know that a McCoy cookie jar was $3 and you can get several hundred dollars for it now. I’ve met collectors who collect to destroy the pieces. MJ: What sort of people collect this stuff?ĭP: There are some who want to educate. I remember that day thinking that I wanted to do what she’d done, but in a different way.ġ950s fishing lure Courtesy of David Pilgrim/PM Press What she had was a testimony to-this is going to sound weird-not just the creativity of racism, but the diversity in it. It shook me! I thought I’d seen everything. It was just objects floor to ceiling in a barnlike structure. After many months, she agreed to let me see her personal collection. Mother Jones: What made you decide to turn your collection into a museum?ĭavid Pilgrim: When I got to Michigan, someone mentioned that they knew this elderly black woman who was an antiques dealer. It lays out the philosophy behind Pilgrim’s work as a scholar and an activist: that only by acknowledging these artifacts and their persistence in American culture can we honestly confront our not-so-distant past. As the title implies, the book isn’t merely an exercise in shock value. He presents a selection of these appalling objects and images in his new book, Understanding Jim Crow: Using Racist Memorabilia to Teach Tolerance and Promote Social Justice. In 1996, Pilgrim transformed his 3,200-item collection into the Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia at Michigan’s Ferris State University, where he teaches sociology.
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