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Jim Crow museum of racist memorabilia expands

Michael Barera

The Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia at Ferris State University in Big Rapids is getting an $18.5 million expansion.

Right now, the museum is in a library on campus.

The expansion would make it a standalone building and better showcase the thousands of objects the museum displays.

David Pilgrim, the museum's curator, said even with the pandemic, they’ve received packages daily with more racist memorabilia to add to the museum’s collection.

“Most of them are common, everyday objects, and that fits our purpose well, because we want to show how everyday objects were used as propagandas to support the racial hierarchy in the country.”

Pilgrim says he hopes that with more space and resources, the museum can better function as a space for dialogue.