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Jim Crow Museum adds famous Polaroids to collection of racist objects

woman holding a dave levinthal blackface polaroid
Courtesy of David Pilgrim
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Ferris State University
A large number of Dave Levinthal's controversial Blackface prints have been given to the Ferris State University Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia.

Ferris State University’s Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia has an important mission: to use objects of intolerance to teach tolerance and promote social justice.

The museum recently received a significant donation to help towards that mission.

An anonymous donor has given them 135 large-format Polaroid prints from photographer David Levinthal’s famous and controversial Blackface series.

They’re valued at some $2 million.

David Pilgrim, the founder and curator of the Jim Crow Museum, joined Stateside to discuss David Levinthal’s controversial series of photographs, how the museum tries to teach a history of racism through objects, the museum’s growing collection, and the museum’s commitment to showing racist memorabilia currently being made.

Listen above.

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