Current News

The Jim Crow Museum website is currently undergoing a redesign. Please be patient as we work on updating all pages. We hope the new design will allow visitors easy access to information and to give a glimpse inside the museum.

Thank you for your patience

The new Jim Crow Museum is now open to the public. The Museum features six exhibit areas -- Who and What is Jim Crow, Jim Crow Violence, Jim Crow and Anti-Black Imagery, Battling Jim Crow Imagery, Attacking Jim Crow Segregation, and Beyond Jim Crow.

The Museum also offers a comprehensive timeline of the African American experience in the United States. The timeline is divided into six sections: Africa Before Slavery, Slavery in America, Reconstruction, Jim Crow, Civil Rights and Post Civil Rights.

The Jim Crow Museum at Ferris State University strives to become a leader in social activism and in the discussion of race and race relations. This new facility will provide increased opportunities for education and research. Please join us as we embark on this mission.

Regular hours are Monday thru Friday 12-5 p.m. or group tours by appointment. To schedule a tour, please contact the museum at (231) 591-5873 or at jimcrowmuseum@ferris.edu. Please refer to the calendar of events for availability.

The mission of the Jim Crow Museum is to use objects of intolerance to teach tolerance and promote social justice.

Museum Policy Update

Visitors to the Jim Crow Museum are prohibited from photographing or video recording any portions of the Museum.

Exceptions to this policy can be made at the sole discretion of Museum staff and might include special events, scholars who have made arrangements in advance of their visits, and credentialed members of the press.

Objectives of the Jim Crow Museum

The Museum's mission is achieved through the following objectives:

  • Collect, exhibit and preserve objects and collections related to racial segregation, anti-black caricatures, civil rights, and African American achievement.
  • Promote the scholarly examination of historical and contemporary expressions of racism.
  • Serve as a teaching resource for Ferris State University courses which deal, directly or indirectly, with the issues of race and ethnicity.
  • Serve as an educational resource for scholars and teachers at the state, national and international levels.
  • Promote racial understanding and healing.
  • Serve as a resource for civil rights and human rights organizations.

Video Spotlight

The Jim Crow Museum; History, Purpose and Vision

This introduction to the new Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia at Ferris State University in Big Rapids, Mich. highlights the history of the facility, its purpose and the vision for the museum's future.

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Traveling Exhibits

  • "Hateful Things"

    From Aunt Jemima advertisements to the board game Ghettopoly, American popular culture is replete with racist images. The Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia features an extensive collection of racist objects that trace the history of the stereotyping of African Americans.

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  • "Them"

    "THEM: Images of Separation," is a traveling exhibition that showcases items from popular culture used to stereotype different groups. The negative imagery -- found on postcards, license plates, games, souvenirs and costumes -- promoted stereotyping against such groups as Asian-Americans, Hispanics, Jews and poor whites, as well as those who are "other" in terms of body type or sexual orientation.

    Continue Reading »