Zwarte Piet (Black Pete)

The staff of the Jim Crow Museum receives dozens of letters and emails. Some of these communiques offer insight into race relations -- historically and in the present. While some are hateful, we have decided to share some of these letters and emails with our Internet visitors.

Dear sir/madam,

I thought you might be interested in an annually recurring blackface stereotype in the Netherlands: Zwarte Piet (Black Pete). Although some debate has been stirred over recent years, the dominant part of our stubborn population seems to think it is perfectly acceptable to stick to this racist relic. With our colonial history, I am ashamed of my country for this unacceptable practice and would like to see this tradition disappear in a museum, where it belongs. Please consider collecting Zwarte Piet imagery, as I think it would be a valuable addition to your museum. For some background, refer to the links below.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zwarte_Piet

https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/like-the-golliwog-zwarte-piet-is-a-racist-relic-so-why-is-it-part-of-the-modern-dutch-christmas-8364296.html

Kind regards,
Jelmer S.
-- Nov. 29, 2012

Dr. Pilgrim discusses the character Zwarte Piet (Black Piet) in the 2011 film "Becoming Santa"

***The staff of the Jim Crow Museum receives dozens of letters and emails. Some of these communiques offer insight into race relations -- historically and in the present. While some are hateful, we have decided to share some of these letters and emails with our Internet visitors.***

Contact

Jim Crow Museum

The staff of the Jim Crow Museum receives dozens of letters and emails. Some of these communiques offer insight into race relations -- historically and in the present. While some are hateful, we have decided to share some of these letters and emails with our Internet visitors.