March 10, 2004

The Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia
posted by forksclovetofu 20 years ago
  • Very good site, very shocking material. I was reading their FAQ - it can't be easy to run a museum like this, but they are dealing with the material, and with possible objections to the museum, well. I hope that they get a chance to put in the explanatory material soon. I was thinking that, if they get space/curatorial time, that it would be interesting for the museum to expand to other, less common stereotype and racist material (which they have, but are currently not displaying), both to see what it shares with racist black stereotypes, and how it differs.
  • Great link. A friend pointed me towards this the other day. It is light on the essays, but covers offensive artwork of all races. America the Beautiful.
  • The USA had no monopoly on bigotry and racism. When I was a kid these cropped up on both sides of the Atlantic.
  • When South Africa introduced Aparthied in 1948, the President of the time commented the Jim Crow laws were the model they used. If only the US left Johnson in charge for another term or three...
  • lkc: great followup link. I love the kind of spoken word stuff over there. Thanks.
  • The USA had no monopoly on bigotry and racism. When I was a kid these [Golliwogs] cropped up on both sides of the Atlantic. They were only removed from advertising Robinson's jam here in Britain 3 years ago.
  • I think that is what the Jim Crow museum is trying to educate about - the "golliwog" dolls are still being sold, things still go on. I wonder though - Aunt Jemima syrup is still sold in the US and Canada, so is Uncle Ben's rice, both of which feature black spokesmen. But I have always thought of them as being like Betty Crocker or the Glad Man - someone you were meant to respect and trust for a good product. Is it possible for an originally derogatory (if these were) symbol to take on a new life?