Big Rapids, MI –- Jim Crow is back, baby! Ferris State University has recently opened the Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia and it is chock-full of beautifully restored treasures of hatred. The museum has the nation’s largest public collection of racist artifacts. Founder David Pilgrim makes no apologies for the museum and hopes it will serve as a learning tool to those who need to be taught it isn’t polite to hate. The shiny new museum only cost $1.3 million which is a bargain compared to turning the entire South into a giant fishbowl.
The Museum offers a timeline of the African American experience in the US, divided into six sections: ‘Africa Before Slavery,’ ‘Slavery in America,’ ‘Reconstruction,’ ‘Jim Crow,’ ‘Civil Rights’ and ‘Post Civil Rights.’
David Pilgrim says it “is all about teaching, not a shrine to racism.” The gallery is “to get people to think deeply.” Pilgrim, who is a dude of color, is no stranger to racism. He is also a former sociology professor at Ferris State. He started the collection over 30 years ago in Alabama, a very obscure place to seek out racist artifacts. But Pilgrim had a hunch that racism might be in other places too, so he followed his instincts and eventually wound up with a 2000 piece collection. It was a good thing that there was so much hate and racism everywhere to make his job so easy. Pilgrim says, “It became the way I relaxed.” With all of these unlimited examples of relaxation, he felt it was time to donate his collection to Ferris State University.
This is also great news for Asians, Mexicans, Middle Easterners, Caucasians, religious, homosexuals, homeless, disfigured, obese, women, mentally and physically challenged people who are looking to find something to do with all the hate memorabilia they collect on a daily basis. This could create so many galleries, jobs and provide education to those who have not mastered racism.
The gallery opens April 26 and admission is free to most. [ NY Daily News]
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Have they erected the statue of the transvaginal ultrasound yet for the women who will be the slaves of the future?
"Captain, Womb Drives are ready."
"Mr. Sulu, Womb Factor 6. Please."
"Aye, aye, Sir."
"Two to beam aboard, there appears to be no sign of intelligent life in Alabama"
Actually, snark aside, I was in Alabama just last week and found the people of Tuscaloosa to be helpful and nice. We were at the University of Alabama and everything seemed to be cool there. And good luck to your Flyers, btw.
I'm in Alabama on business as I write this. Can't say that I disagree about the nice people but hell, nice people are everywhere. It's when they have to deal with religion and politics that they tend to get a bit, uh, ruffled. I don't think that the Civil War has ended yet down here.
Thanks Puck!
We're all slaves to the future, Barb. [spit!] They keep tellin' us to do something for future generations. But what the fuck have future generations ever done for us? [spit!]
Give me a hunk of that chaw! I agree! I don't spit though.
You swallow, then?
The best women know that when the beer arrives, it had better be cold and cracked open and spitting is wrong.
There's a guy in one of my AA meetings who chews that stuff. Carries a styrofoam cup to spit into. One of the most disgusting things I've seen in quite some time.
But I thought women were slaves now, slaves tomorrow, slaves forever?
Sounds like someone read Twilight.
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Do blahs have a separate entrance?
Water fountains and bathrooms, too, also.
Yes, but it only costs 3/5!
Admission is free to most? Does that mean racists have to pay? That would be sweet!
that would be cool if they had some sort of symbol that racists had to wear…like something on their lapel, a colored star or something, no wait, maybe not.
Chappelle Pins? Yes, it makes no sense but…it seems perfect that they'd have to wear it.
Red bulls-eyes?
surveyors' marks, perhaps?
Flag Pin?
I thought Mississippi was the Museum of Racist Memorabilia.
They have daily reenactments!
Schedule your visit TODAY!
This is also great news for… You racists, you left out Jews and Little People! This article goes into the museum!
What about the gheys? Why won't anyone think of the gheys!!!
Meanwhile, here's a preview of the 2012 Republican National Convention.
(No guarantees with regards to choreography quality, however.)
~
WTF? What is that the Log Cabin Wing of the Klan???
"Hey Vern, tonight we's a gonna string up a coupla nigras – and then we're rehearsing that awesome new set we're planning for the state convention!"
I'm not racist but…some of my best friends are blah…you know who else…oh whatever, happy friday everyone!
I am off to the farm. So a perfect weekend is in the offing.
I will be "out standing in my field".
♪ Kickin' in the front of the bus
Sittin' in the back of the bus
Gotta let whitey make my mind up
Which seat can I take? ♪
Back of the bus with you, Miss Black!Sent from my iPhone
The ALEC wing is still under construction.
I'm surprised the museum isn't in Benton Harbor.
I'd like to go and catch an old Disney movie, if they're showing any.
So they'll be showing "Song of the South" on continuous loop?
“The gallery opens April 26 and admission is free to most.”
Does he plan to just charge the Irish?
The Welsh sure as hell won't pay.
only the uppity black Irish.
Only the drunk ones?
So all of 'em, Katie.
Hey, many hipster blah peoples ironically collect racist memorabilia. I would love to find a genuine old paper with a "No Irish Need Apply" ad in it.
Actually, I agree. I love to have something like that if I had any idea what my heritage was. I think we might be French and Dutch. I am confused. Mostly.
I had a black professor who legitimately did collect racist memorabilia. Truth be told much of it was part of a lecture she did on representations of color, but she said that by collecting and mocking a piece, it helped her to take away the sting of its message.
There are also artists out there like Jean Grosser who take hate literature and turn it into empowering art about racism and antisemitism.
"No Irish Need Apply"
– wasn't that on the cover of a PiL or Big Audio Dynamite album?
Fortunately, nobody's ever told a joke at the expense of us Poles, or we'd have to take a break from all our mathematics and getting slaughtered to go beat on someone.
Oh, c'mon, poles, zeroes, whatevs.
If the Confederacy had won the Civil War Between the States, he could have stopped with the "Slavery in America" section. But think of how much more stuff he'd have in his collection. Including himself! (Unless he was able to runaway from Alabama.)
I can't wait for the Museum of Reverse Racism to open up — that'll be highlighting people who call Rush Limbaugh a racist, black people who get admitted to college (because — you know — equal opportunity stuff) and anyone who mocks Sarah Palin's children.
That sumbitch is going to be bursting at the seams in no time.
Is there a separate entrance for those people? You know, just in fun and all.
Watermelon and fried chicken up there, but no grape soda. Grape soda references are much more hip than watermelon and fried chicken references. And don't forget the fear of dogs and ghosts, known as "sperrits."
What does grape soda mean?
I'll toast that comment with a gin and juice!
You mean haints?
So much hate so little time.
Hot damn! [spit!] I'd like some of that stuff for my front yard. The trailer needs a bit o' sprucin' up this spring, and there's some mighty fine stuff there. [spit!] Thanks, Wonkette!
So…am I the only white person who totally wants to see this?
Whenever my confidence soars too high, I need to find a new excuse to hate myself and all of humanity.
Is that from School Ties?
As an openly white man, I'd go, with my colored husband, just to bring the awkward (I assume my admission would be reduced by bringing him–wait for it, yes, only 3/5ths retail price!).
Ironically, no queers allowed. Go figure.
what color is he?
A fine caramel, with flushes of raspberry if he reads this.
I keep reading about how people go and get depressed looking at the exhibits, and maybe it's because I'm young, but I want to go for a good time. If it will be inappropriate to laugh at stuff so comically offensive, maybe I need to skip this. Plus, Big Rapids is very far away, even for most Michiganders.
I call bullshit on "a dude of color." David Pilgrim is quite possibly the whitest, blandest, crackerbarrelest, milquetoastiest, WalMartiest, McWonderbreadiest name to fall off the saltine truck in a coons age.
You may be on to something – he's about as "colored" as the average blue haired lady in FL.
http://www.ferris.edu/HTMLS/administration/presid…
I hear they are going to build the Museum of Lynching in Tavares, Florida. Or else Roseville.
Actually…
Well, it's not like there isn't already a Museum of Jew Lynching just down the road from Preznit Barry's house.
4 blocks away?
Ferris State? What can you major in? Advanced Wheel Dynamics?
Buellernomics?
I wanna go there – I hear they have a lot of days off.
Their sister college gets no respect.
But Ben Stein is faculty.
Well, it's not as uptight as Ferric State.
Nevar forget.
"Nearer" my God to Thee
"Racism must be over if there's a museum of it!" – Fox News Bobblehead, Any Day Now
3…2…1…
Check out the ebay, here is a slave bill of sale, and they only want $2,775.00 for it! http://www.ebay.com/itm/1855-SOUTH-CAROLINA-SLAVE…
You. Are. Fucking. Shitting. Me.
No?
Fuck us all.
Damn me, that pic actually made me laugh with its extreme lunacy.
I love the alt-txt: "Art."
Hey, don't be dissin' Big Rapids. I met my lovely wife there in a tequila-soaked haze of green smoke at the shack of her deer-poachin' white trash (at the time) cousin. I have very fond memories of Big Rapids.
And she's still very lovely.
Ferris [wheel]
Dick Cheney sees this as fertile ground to finish developing plans for the Waterboard Water-Park of his dreams.
There'll be fun games for the kids too — like bobbing for water.
Same with the
Wave"Waive-Your-Rights" Pool..He's waiting to see how sales of his Waterboard Waterpik do.
Haha Michigan, he's all yours now.
Alabama does have the Civil Rights Institute, and if you want to cry for a couple of hours it is very beautiful and incredibly well done.
http://www.bcri.org/index.html
And for anyone who hasn't yet, definitely check out the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis. It's built out of the very motel where MLK was shot, and doesn't skimp on his "Poor People's Campaign" later years.
Fakakta you beat me to it. A guy I work with, the biggest racist, lunitic rightwingtard, and in general asshole, was a parent on his daughters field trip there yesterday. ALL of us at work could not wait for him to get in here today, figuring they probably had to kick him out of there. Instead, he came back in awe of the whole thing, including the lesbian exhibit they have up right now (it's outstanding). If this made that kind of impression on this guy, maybe every asshole in the country should see it.
I've always said Michigan is the South of the North, but now I guess we really are.
Read the article, my dear. This isn't some white dude collecting Klan robes for "posterity".
According to an Antiques Road Show I saw once, collecting racist kitsch is a niche market in the black community.
Museum to include:
1.) Fox News Employee Roster
2.) Republican Voter Rolls
3.) Caucasians residing south of the Mason-Dixon line
"The gallery opens April 26 and admission is free to most."
So, teh Joose are charged, both to enter and to leave?
OT Quick watch Martin Bashir talk to Carl Palladino , it's awesome.
Please tell me admission is $0.50, only for white people. Please!
They should just say the Museum is run by a white guy named Art.
So, uh, Jim Crow is the new black?
I can't bear to have that image (photo) flicker across my screen here at work, so I'll be returning later to peruse y'all's valuable snark later, when I'm back home, after ritually cleansing my eyeballs with bleach.
I expect to see an exhibit of people eating dogs, right?
Anyway, Michigan, New Mexico has got you beat. Yes, that's right. It's a single
StormfrontI mean storefront.The contents consist of a single picture of an arrow pointing west, captioned "Arizona is that way."
Michigan? I'm looking forward to the man-on-the-scene report from Wonkette's own Negropolis. ROAD TRIIIIIP!!!1!
The new museum features a pre-Civil War Wing, a Reconstruction-Through-Today Wing, and a Fried Chicken Wing.
Admission is free, but parking is $50. Except for Cadillacs and SUVs with 20 in spinners, which get free, front row spots.
Ah, the good old days, when everyone knew their place….Has Ann Romney anything to contribute, I wonder?
Will they be updating it for the 2012 election season?
And the Cafeteria! I've always wanted to design a hate-themed menu.
Bogtrotter's Boiled Dinner
Spic N' Spam Special
Greasy Wop Macaroni
Fruit Salad
The Sheriff's sh*t-eating-grin chocolate pudding
And so on. I'm sure you guys can do better.
GREASEPAINT LIBEL!
I would be one to think that the racism museum is a bit like the holocaust museum. Kind of a "never again" instrument.
Well, that's exactly what it's for.
But I keep getting screamed at by teabaggers about how their was no racism beyond Robert Byrd being in the Klan at one point (back in the 1940s, an era of enlightened tolerance of other races).
at least he's removing some of this trash from other people's collections
Erik: Outstanding linkie of "racist artifacts".
So, I know we're all here for lulz, but I'd be remiss if I didn't put in my two cents to say that I've had personal experience with this project, and its intent is indeed a noble one.
Dr. Pilgrim (who gives outstanding speeches on the importance of racial diversity and the lasting realness of discrimination to a campus that specializes in more technical education) collects these artifacts to get them out of the hands of people who would collect them with fondness, and instead directs them toward a larger goal. Seen in one room, the collective effect of these objects, which are all freely sold and traded today all over our supposedly "post-racial" society, are a powerful reminder of the work we've yet to do as a country.
Pass. All I have to do is look out of any of my windows.
I really have to get to this, one of these days. I remember when the local media was interviewing the guy when he was looking for a home for the exhibit. He'd essentially had the stuff packed into his house, but could only show so much of it (and only at particular times). He's been working on this project, for years, and it's good to see he found a home, though, my only gripe is that I wish he wouldn't have ended up all the way up in Big Rapids.
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