Jim Crow Museum

Digital Collection

"Like a boil that can never be cured so long as it is covered up but must be opened with all its ugliness to the natural medicines of air and light, injustice must be exposed, with all the tension its exposure creates, to the light of human conscience and the air of national opinion before it can be cured".

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr - letter from a Birmingham Jail

Who Are We?

Welcome to the Jim Crow Museum. We are an anti-racism institution. We use objects to inform, to teach, and to create dialogues about race relations. Our approach is to use primary sources to document and learn from the past. We are educators. The museum is not a shrine to racism, but a collection of objects and attitudes that shaped history.

This history belongs to all Americans as inheritors of the legacy of Jim Crow. This museum is a testimony to the resiliency of African American people. It is a collection of narratives that demand contemplation. Everyone is welcome, yet this space may not be for everyone. Confronting history is a fact-based endeavor, but it may be an emotional struggle that is overwhelming for some visitors. Our mission is to teach tolerance using objects of deeply rooted intolerance. We combat ignorance with truth and replace fear with empathy. The Jim Crow Museum promotes personal and community awareness, social justice, and racial healing.

Please explore this beta version of the Jim Crow Museum's digital collection.

Browse the Digital Collection

Explore the collection by object type, such as - postcards, greeting cards, and books.

Explore the collection by the caricature type or theme of the object.

Please use the built-in search bar (look for the magnifying glass in the top right corner) to search the collection for specific terms or phrases.

Connect with the Jim Crow Museum