The Grand Rapids Public Museum will host a panel discussion regarding the Jim Crow
Museum and critical issues related to race, race relations and racism. The event takes
place at 3 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 13, at the Meijer Theater in the museum.
GRAND RAPIDS – Ferris State University President Bill Pink and Vice President David Pilgrim will lead a discussion exploring the work of the Jim Crow Museum and the value of ongoing dialogue centered on race, race relations and racism in the Grand Rapids Public Museum.
The event is planned for 3 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 13, at the Meijer Theater in the museum, 272 Pearl St. NW in Grand Rapids.
The discussion will present context and information about the “Overcoming Hateful Things: Stories from the Jim Crow Museum of Racist Imagery” exhibit, running at the GRPM through Sept. 3.
Pink, Ferris State’s 19th president and the first African American to lead the university, will discuss higher education’s role in promoting diversity and inclusion.
Pilgrim is vice president for Diversity, Equity and Strategic Initiatives and is the founder and director of the university’s Jim Crow Museum of Racist Imagery.
They will be joined by Shannon Wilson, vice president of Population Health and Health Equity at Priority Health, and Cyndi Tiedt, the collections manager of the Jim Crow Museum.
Wilson will offer a local perspective on the exhibit, while Tiedt will share context on the challenging historical period represented by the exhibit.
The panel plans to discuss exploring the mission, vision and ongoing efforts of the Jim Crow Museum and the value of ongoing dialogue centered on race, race relations and racism.
“Overcoming Hateful Things” includes 151 objects, 21 exhibit crates, 17 exhibits and eight multimedia interactives.
The 3,000-square-foot exhibit includes artifacts that serve an educational purpose as reminders of America’s past and serve as a teaching tool noting generations of pushback by African Americans through activism, achievement and living their everyday lives with dignity.
In June 2023, The Wege Foundation awarded a $500,000 grant supporting the new “Overcoming Hateful Things” traveling exhibit, allowing it to work close to home in West Michigan, then travel across the nation and worldwide.
In February, the Ferris Board of Trustees committed $5 million to support the future permanent Jim Crow Museum on the Big Rapids campus. The project has a $20 million fundraising goal. The project has also received $2 million in donor support and a commitment of $1 million from the state of Michigan.
Tickets for the special diversity panel discussion are free with admission to the Grand Rapids Public Museum. Registration must take place in advance. Tickets can be reserved at tickets.grpm.org/events.