Ferris exhibitions showcase unique museum

This past April, Ferns State University hosted the premiere of "Them: Images of Separation," a traveling exhibition of items from popular culture used to stereotype various groups of people.

"Them" builds upon the success of an earlier exhibition entitled, "Hateful Things." Both shows are comprised of artifacts from Ferris' Jim Crow Museum of Racist Imagery. The museum is the outgrowth of a collection of items by university professor of sociology David Pilgrim, who is also museum curator.

The museum's mission is to provide leadership in the anti-racism movement The museum serves as a base for quality scholarships addressing the complexities of race relations.

According to Pilgrim, "Them" responds to questions he received from people who saw the previous exhibition, which focused specifically on imagery demeaning to African Americans.

The negative imagery promoted stereotyping against such groups as Asian-Americans, Hispanics, Jews and poor Whites, as well as those who are categorized as "other" in terms of body type or sexual orientation.

"In the past we had people ask why did we have objects that dealt with groups other than African Americans," Pilgrim said. "For this show, we took our direction from Martin Luther King's famous quote, 'Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.' This is the next logical step for the Jim Crow Museum."

Through more than 30 separate framed pieces, "Them" tackles some of the most contentious cultural hot-button issues: anti-Arab sentiment, Holocaust denial, "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" and immigration. The exhibition also includes items demeaning to African Americans.

"I'm hoping 'Them' shows discrimination and stereotyping is not a Black/White issue - it's more pervasive than that," Pilgrim said.

The museum has become an important resource for international news media. The New York Times, BBC, Los Angeles Times and many other outlets have turned to Pilgrim and the museum for commentary on a range of breaking stories.

In addition to organizing traveling exhibitions, the Jim Crow Museum is planning to expand beyond the museum's single room in the Arts, Sciences and Education building on campus.

To view the collection online, read and take a virtual tour, visit www.ferris.edu/jimcrow. John Thorp, social sciences division head, schedules all tours. He can be contacted at (231) 591-5873 or at [email protected].