The new exhibit, Overcoming Hateful Things: Stories from the Jim Crow Museum of Racist Imagery is making its first stop in Grand Rapids. The display features various artifacts meant to educate and spark conversations about race, race relations and racism.
David Pilgrim is the director and founder of the Jim Crow Museum of Racist Imagery at Ferris State University. He said the exhibit shows how African Americans use their activism, achievement and how they live their lives with dignity in ways that have helped them overcome hate and what those hateful things represented.
“We as a nation need to have an honest appraisal of the past, and the present. And this exhibit helps us do that. But again, it also helps us to understand how African Americans push back,” he said.
Pilgrim said although objects on display are contextualized the exhibit is geared more toward adults than children.
The Grand Rapids Public Museum says because of mature content and themes the exhibit is not recommended for children under 12 and children under 17 will need to be accompanied by an adult.
The museum will host a discussion with Pilgrim about the exhibit this Sunday June 4 at 3 p.m. The exhibit will run from June 3 through September 3.
More info on admission can be found on the Grand Rapids Public Museum’s website.