The Jim Crow Museum

Summary

The Jim Crow Museum uses caricatures and artifacts to teach about the history and impact of racial segregation in America. The museum begins by explaining the origins of Jim Crow and progresses to show how racist depictions in media and everyday items perpetuated stereotypes and justified discrimination. The exhibits highlight the violence underpinning segregation and the pervasive nature of racist laws and customs. The museum also honors African American resilience, showcasing achievements and the fight for civil rights, while emphasizing that the struggle against racism continues today.

Takeaways

• 🌟 The Jim Crow Museum aims to re-emphasize that the caricatures on display are not real people but distortions and lies, challenging the stereotypes perpetuated by them.
• 🎭 The museum educates visitors about the origins of Jim Crow, starting with the character and moving into its use as a synonym for racial segregation, highlighting its pervasive presence in American society.
• 🎼 The 1832 sheet music 'Jim Crow' and Thomas Rice's blackface performances are presented to show how the Jim Crow persona was popularized in the U.S. and worldwide.
• 👥 The museum explores the impact of minstrel shows on shaping and reflecting attitudes towards African Americans, portraying them as inferior and perpetuating harmful stereotypes.
• 🚫 The Jim Crow era's segregation is illustrated through objects and laws that restricted African Americans' freedoms and reinforced racial hierarchy in every aspect of society.
• 🚶‍♂️ The museum features a movable 'For Colored Patrons Only' sign to demonstrate the humiliating practices African Americans had to endure, such as giving up their seats and moving signs on buses.
• 🏚️ The pervasiveness of Jim Crow is emphasized through the display of laws and norms that limited interactions and opportunities for African Americans, even outside the South.
• 👊 The role of violence and the threat of violence in maintaining the Jim Crow system is underscored, showing how it was used to control and subjugate African Americans.
• 🎨 The museum showcases how African American artists, like John Lockhart, used their work to deconstruct racism and challenge stereotypes, presenting a strong and defiant image of African American women.
• 🏛️ The Civil Rights Movement and the signing of the 1964 Civil Rights Act are highlighted as the death knell for Jim Crow, illustrating the struggle for equality and the legislative changes that facilitated social progress.
• 🕊️ Despite the progress, the museum acknowledges that racism and racist imagery persist, with some objects even defaming President Obama in ways reminiscent of Jim Crow era depictions of African Americans.

Q & A

What is the primary purpose of the Jim Crow Museum?

The primary purpose of the Jim Crow Museum is to educate visitors about the history and impact of Jim Crow laws and racial segregation, emphasizing that the caricatures and objects on display are distortions and lies, not representations of real people.

What was the role of Thomas Rice in the Jim Crow persona?

Thomas Rice was one of the early blackface performers in the U.S. who popularized the Jim Crow persona in the United States and across the world, though he did not create blackface stage performances.

How did minstrel shows contribute to racial attitudes in the United States?

Minstrel shows, featuring white Americans in blackface pretending to be African Americans, shaped and reflected attitudes that African Americans were inferior, often portraying them as buffoons and idiots, which helped legitimize and spread racist beliefs.

What is the significance of the 'For Colored Patrons Only' sign in the museum?

The 'For Colored Patrons Only' sign demonstrates the pervasiveness of racial segregation and the everyday humiliations African Americans faced, such as having to move and even carry the sign themselves when giving up their seats to white passengers on a bus.

How did Jim Crow laws affect various societal institutions?

Jim Crow laws influenced every major societal institution, including the family, government, media, military, and higher education, reinforcing the idea that whites were superior to blacks in all aspects that mattered.

What role did violence play in the Jim Crow era?

Violence and the threat of violence were instrumental in maintaining the Jim Crow caste system, controlling African Americans' ambitions and punishing those who violated racial norms or sought social equality.

Why is the Ku Klux Klan included in the museum despite the curator's reluctance?

The Ku Klux Klan is included because it is an integral part of America's race history and race relations, and its acts of violence were essential in enforcing and legitimizing the Jim Crow system.

What message does the museum convey about the persistence of racist imagery?

The museum conveys that despite progress in racial equality, racist imagery persists, with modern objects like mouse pads still reproducing old stereotypes, indicating that the struggle against racism and racist imagery continues.

How does the museum address the achievements of African Americans during the Jim Crow era?

The museum highlights the resiliency of African Americans by showcasing their achievements as scholars, inventors, thinkers, civil rights leaders, politicians, and military personnel, demonstrating that they overcame the oppressive Jim Crow system.

What is the significance of the 'Cloud of Witnesses' mural in the museum?

The 'Cloud of Witnesses' mural honors the lives of individuals killed during the civil rights movement, reminding visitors of the ultimate sacrifices made in the fight against racial injustice and serving as a backdrop for discussions on racial issues.

How does the museum facilitate dialogue among visitors?

The museum encourages dialogue by asking visitors to engage with the objects and each other, prompting questions about what they see and believe, fostering a deeper understanding and reflection on the exhibited themes.

Outlines

00:00

🎭 The Jim Crow Museum: Challenging Caricatures and Racial Stereotypes

The Jim Crow Museum aims to recontextualize and challenge the caricatures and stereotypes that were prevalent during the era of racial segregation in the United States. The museum starts with an introduction to the Jim Crow character and its evolution into a symbol for racial segregation. It highlights the impact of blackface minstrel shows on shaping societal attitudes towards African Americans, portraying them as inferior. The museum also showcases the pervasiveness of Jim Crow laws and norms that dictated every aspect of society, reinforcing the racial hierarchy. A particular focus is given to the role of objects and signs that symbolized segregation, such as 'For Colored Patrons Only,' and how they were used to enforce racial hierarchy and the participation of African Americans in their own subjugation.

05:07

📜 The Legal and Social Infrastructure of Jim Crow

This paragraph delves into the legal framework that supported Jim Crow, including laws that prohibited interracial interactions and reinforced social inequality. It emphasizes the pervasiveness of these laws and the unwritten norms that were equally restrictive, even outside the South. The paragraph also discusses the indispensable role of violence and the threat of violence in maintaining the Jim Crow system, highlighting the brutal reality of African American lives and the instrumental use of violence to control and suppress their ambitions. The Ku Klux Klan's involvement in perpetuating racial terror is acknowledged, as well as the use of everyday objects, such as postcards depicting violence, to normalize and propagate racial hostility.

10:10

🍗 Caricatures and Their Impact on Society: The Coon Chicken Inn Controversy

The Coon Chicken Inn section of the museum exposes the rampant use of racial caricatures in American society, particularly focusing on the derogatory depiction of African Americans in restaurants and various consumer products. The paragraph discusses the perpetuation of stereotypes like the 'Mammy' figure, which was used to rationalize the denial of opportunities and rights to African Americans. It also touches on the broader issue of how caricatures in toys and games can spread racist ideas and normalize the abuse and punishment of African Americans, both in play and in real life.

15:12

🎨 Art and Resilience: African American Response to Jim Crow

This paragraph highlights the resilience and creativity of African Americans in the face of Jim Crow's oppressive regime. It discusses how artists and community leaders used their talents to deconstruct racism and challenge stereotypes. The museum's new space allows for the display of works that reflect this resistance, such as John Lockhart's 'No More,' which portrays a strong, assertive 'Mammy' figure demanding her rights. The paragraph also acknowledges the achievements of African Americans in various fields despite the challenges of Jim Crow, showcasing their strength and determination.

20:16

🗝️ The End of an Era: The Civil Rights Movement and Its Legacy

The final paragraph of the script reflects on the significance of the Civil Rights Movement and the 1964 Civil Rights Act as the official end of Jim Crow. It discusses the museum's intention to inspire dialogue and reflection on the progress made and the work that still needs to be done to combat racism and racial stereotypes. The museum's exhibits serve as a reminder that while significant strides have been made towards equality, racial issues persist in contemporary American society, as evidenced by the continued production and consumption of racially charged imagery and objects.

🌟 The Cloud of Witnesses: Honoring the Sacrifices of the Civil Rights Movement

The Cloud of Witnesses mural is a poignant tribute to those who lost their lives during the civil rights struggle. The paragraph emphasizes the importance of remembering their sacrifices and using their stories as a catalyst for dialogue about America's racial history and the ongoing fight against racism. The mural serves as a backdrop for discussions about the museum's exhibits and the broader implications for society, encouraging visitors to engage in meaningful conversations about race and equality.

Keywords

💡Jim Crow

Jim Crow refers to both a racial caricature popularized by blackface performances and the systemic segregation laws in the United States. These laws enforced racial segregation and inequality. The video illustrates Jim Crow as both a form of entertainment that dehumanized African Americans and a legal and societal system that upheld racial hierarchy.

💡Caricature

A caricature is an exaggerated representation of a person or group, often to ridicule or demean. In the context of the video, caricatures of African Americans, like the Mammy figure or blackface characters, were used to perpetuate racist stereotypes and justify the social and legal inequalities of Jim Crow.

💡Blackface

Blackface is a form of theatrical makeup used by non-black performers to portray caricatured representations of African Americans. It was a central element in minstrel shows, which spread and reinforced racist stereotypes. The video discusses how blackface performances, such as those by Thomas Rice, popularized harmful stereotypes and influenced public perception of African Americans.

💡Segregation

Segregation refers to the enforced separation of different racial groups. Under Jim Crow laws, African Americans were segregated from whites in public spaces, schools, transportation, and more. The video highlights how pervasive and institutionalized this segregation was, impacting every aspect of American society.

💡Minstrel Shows

Minstrel shows were theatrical performances where white actors in blackface portrayed African Americans as foolish and inferior. These shows played a significant role in shaping and spreading racist attitudes. The video explains how minstrel shows both reflected and legitimized the belief in African American inferiority.

💡Violence

Violence refers to the physical force used to harm or intimidate individuals. In the context of Jim Crow, violence was used to enforce racial hierarchy and suppress African American resistance. The video emphasizes that Jim Crow could not have functioned without the real and threatened violence against African Americans.

💡Racial Hierarchy

Racial hierarchy is the belief in the inherent superiority of one race over others. Under Jim Crow, this hierarchy placed whites above African Americans, justifying their unequal treatment and segregation. The video discusses how this hierarchy was ingrained in societal institutions and everyday life.

💡Mammy

Mammy is a stereotype of an African American woman, depicted as a loyal and submissive servant. This caricature was used to portray black women as desexualized and content with their subservient role. The video shows how Mammy's image was used in household items, reinforcing this demeaning stereotype.

💡Civil Rights Movement

The Civil Rights Movement was a struggle for social justice in the mid-20th century aimed at ending racial discrimination and segregation. The video connects the movement to the dismantling of Jim Crow laws, highlighting the efforts of African Americans who fought for equality and justice despite systemic oppression.

💡Racial Stereotypes

Racial stereotypes are oversimplified and generalized beliefs about a particular race. The video discusses various stereotypes, such as the lazy 'Coon' or the loyal 'Mammy,' that were used to rationalize the mistreatment and discrimination of African Americans. These stereotypes were propagated through media, toys, and everyday objects.

💡Ku Klux Klan

The Ku Klux Klan (KKK) is a white supremacist hate group that used terror and violence to maintain racial segregation and white dominance. The video briefly mentions the KKK's role in enforcing Jim Crow laws through fear and brutality, showing that racism was not limited to extremist groups but was widespread.

💡African American Achievement

Despite the oppression of Jim Crow, many African Americans excelled as scholars, inventors, artists, and civil rights leaders. The video highlights their resilience and accomplishments, emphasizing that African Americans contributed significantly to society even under systemic racism.

💡Racist Imagery

Racist imagery includes visual representations that demean and dehumanize a racial group. The video demonstrates how such imagery, like caricatures and derogatory depictions, perpetuated racist ideas and justified the segregation and mistreatment of African Americans.

💡Dialogue

Dialogue refers to open and constructive conversations about difficult topics. The video emphasizes the importance of dialogue in the Jim Crow Museum, where visitors are encouraged to discuss and reflect on the objects and their implications, fostering a deeper understanding of racism and its impact.

Highlights

The museum re-emphasizes that the pieces on display are caricatures, not real people, aiming to challenge the distortions and lies perpetuated by such representations.

Jim Crow Museum educates visitors on the history of Jim Crow, both as a character and as a term synonymous with racial segregation.

The museum features an 1832 sheet music display to illustrate the origins of the Jim Crow character popularized by Thomas Rice.

Minstrel shows are highlighted as a significant factor in shaping and reflecting negative attitudes towards African Americans.

The pervasiveness of Jim Crow segregation is emphasized, affecting every major societal institution in American society.

A movable 'For Colored Patrons Only' sign demonstrates the active participation of black individuals in their own segregation.

The museum showcases the extensive laws and social norms that enforced racial hierarchy and segregation during the Jim Crow era.

Violence and the threat of violence are presented as essential tools for maintaining the Jim Crow caste system.

The Ku Klux Klan's role in perpetuating racism and violence is acknowledged, despite the reluctance to emphasize the group.

Racist imagery on everyday objects, such as postcards, is used to demonstrate the normalization and spread of violence against African Americans.

Games and toys that depict African Americans in degrading ways are exhibited to show the insidious spread of racist ideas.

The Coon Chicken Inn display reveals the extent of racial stereotypes in commercial establishments during the Jim Crow era.

The museum uses a home motif to explore the caricature of 'Mammy,' a dominant and demeaning stereotype of African American women.

Caricatures are shown to rationalize the denial of opportunities to African Americans, perpetuating harmful stereotypes.

The museum provides space to tell stories of African American resilience and achievement despite the oppressive Jim Crow era.

The Civil Rights Movement and the signing of the 1964 Civil Rights Act are presented as the official end of Jim Crow laws.

The museum encourages dialogue and reflection on the ongoing struggle against racism and the persistence of racist imagery.

The Cloud of Witnesses mural honors those killed during the civil rights movement, serving as a backdrop for discussions on racial issues.

Transcripts

ask yourself the question if you grow up and growing up you see literally

thousands of examples in cartoons in movies in books and in real life of

blacks being the victims of pain and the victims of aggression and also the

perpetuators what seeds does that plant? What we try to do in the entire museum

is to re-emphasize that the pieces in here are caricatures they are not real

people it's a distortion it's a lie.

Many people come to the Jim Crow Museum have little or no knowledge of Jim Crow

so we began the experience inside the museum with a display about Jim Crow the

character and then we move into Jim Crow when it become a synonym for racial

segregation. This wall here is a blown-up version of an 1832 sheet music which was

called Jim Crow. You have here the silhouette form of Thomas Rice one of

the early blackface performers in the u.s. who put black face makeup on got on

stage and pretended to be a black character. He did not create blackface

stage performances but what he did do was to make the Jim Crow persona popular

in the United States and across the world. This section of the museum

actually has two of the ways we think of Jim Crow. One, Jim Crow as a blackface

form of entertainment. Minstrel shows both shaped and reflected attitudes

toward african-americans. Imagine if you were a white American you didn't know a

lot of African Americans and the only depictions or portrayals of African

Americans that you saw were from the minstrel stage. There you would find

dressed in blackface white Americans pretending to be African

Americans and then later African Americans darkening their skins

pretending to be even darker African Americans acting as buffoons and idiots

and the like. Those shows became central to the creation the legitimization the

spread of the ideas and beliefs that African Americans were

inferior others. "and the man said Boy you give me a situation you have to put

me through a simple surf examanution. No stupid you mean a civil service

examination." On the other side what we have is Jim Crow as a synonym for

segregation and this showcase has objects that we would more traditionally

associate with segregation. One of the lessons of the Jim Crow Museum is that

Jim Crow segregation was so pervasive that it was omnipresent that it was in

every aspect of American society. Every major societal institution the family

the government the media the military higher education all major institutions

in our society bought into the idea that whites were superior to blacks in all

ways that mattered. In every day in every aspect of a society the racial hierarchy

was cemented and manifested. There is a sign here that that says for colored

patrons only. This shows the value of an object as a

teaching tool. You've heard the story of Miss Rosa Parks and how she did not want

to give up her seat but what you might not know is that in many communities

blacks did right in front of the bus at least all the way to the front except

one seat from the white bus driver. But when white people got on the bus they

then had to move back. And what this sign demonstrates if you notice the the metal

metal parts at the end is that the sign was movable and often it was the black

person who had to not only get up to give their seat but then had to

themselves move the signage behind them. In that case not only are you forced to

move you're forced to participate in your own victimization.

The New Jim Crow Museum

afforded us the opportunity to build this wall. For many Americans when

they think about what was Jim Crow they think only of segregation laws we know

better than that. We know that Jim Crow included every

aspect of society however the laws were an important part of Jim Crow. Laws that

for example forbade African Americans and white Americans from playing

checkers together or being buried in the same Cemetery or fishing together or

doing anything that implied social equality. What we tried to do here was to

put so many of those laws there that you really had a sense of how pervasive

those laws were under Jim Crow. Some of those rules are codified into law. Some

of them are norms that they're not laws but they're just as real. So for example

if you were in a deep south or a border states you would have in constitutions

and in local city ordinances laws that forbade certain behavior but it is also

the case that when you left the Jim Crow South and came north that there were

still practices sometimes they weren't codified into law ,city ordinances, county

ordinances, sometimes they weren't laws in that sense, but trust me when I tell

you, that they limited interactions between African Americans and whites.

That they limited opportunities for African Americans. And that a person an

African American who violated those laws was punished.

Jim Crow could not have existed without violence. Real violence and the threat of

violence. The reality is people would not put up with a caste system being

victimized within a caste system if they did not fear violence and it is an

unfortunate truth that in the United States history that thousands of African

Americans were brutally murdered. I think the message to learn here is is that

violence was instrumental. By that I mean it was an instrument used to control

African Americans to control their ambition. To say to them no you will not

have a white man's job, you will not date a white man's woman, you will not attend

a white man's school, and if you try to do those things or anything that implies

that you believe that you are an equal to a white man you risk your life.

If I had my druthers I would have scant if any space devoted to the Ku Klux Klan.

The reason I've never liked to emphasize the Klan is because we don't want to

associate racism with just an extremist group. The fact though is we've always

had to have some Klan material because you cannot tell the story of America's

race history our race relations in America's history without talking about

the Klan.

As I said before the Jim Crow could not have worked without violence

and that violence was real and potential. Here's a case where we have a real act

of violence but it's also reproduced and so it becomes a threat of violence. What

you see here is a postcard. So not only was the person beaten but it became an

image a part of an object an everyday object that would have been sent through

the mail system.

Blacks have been targets in games in toys and also in real-life.

Games like African Dodger where a black person stuck their head through a hole

and we've tried to recreate that here and people would throw balls at their

faces. That brutality was replaced some would say by less brutal form meaning to

use not real black people but wooden blacks and plastic blacks and paper

blacks, but of course symbolically the idea is still there, that blacks don't

experience pain in the same way that whites do, that it's fun to throw at

black people, that it is normative to punish them.

And that the punishment of them can be public and can be fun for the Punisher

Coon Chicken Inn was a chain of restaurants mostly out west, Seattle

Portland, Salt Lake City. Inside the Coon chicken inn restaurants were every

conceivable stereotype we can think of. So in the Jim Crow Museum what we've

done is is to recreate the face of the Coon chicken inn porter as we enter the

part of the museum that deals with caricatures. The idea is this Jim Crow

could not have existed without violence and it could not have existed without

millions I mean literally millions of everyday caricatured objects which

supported that system. We decided to use as much as possible a home motif for the

museum. Here we have a kitchen and in that kitchen we have Mammy. Mammy was one

of the dominant caricatures of african-american women. She was dark. She

was a large woman. She was at least by American standards an unattractive woman.

She had children and yet she was often perceived as being desexualized. She was

loyal to a fault. And that image of mammy became this image that many white

Americans associated with wholesomeness. So her face was placed on breakfast

foods and other kitchen related objects. And so what we did here is to put

literally dozens of mammy images in a kitchen.

All racial and ethnic groups

have been caricatured in this country. But the truth is no group has been

caricatured as much and in as many ways as have african-americans. Caricatures

become rationalizations for the denial of opportunities. If for example you

believe the caricature of african-american men

Coons, meaning lazy, narr-a-do-wells, ignorant, people who are cultural

parasites. If you perpetuate that caricature and accept that caricature

then that becomes a rationalization for denying African Americans the right to

vote to attend good schools; it becomes indeed a rationalization for

supporting Jim Crow.

Toys and games are an especially pernicious way to spread

racist ideas. If you look at the depictions of African Americans and

cartoons in the 1940s, what you notice is is that they're actually caricatures. And

as caricatures they become techniques to use against African Americans who are

pursuing what was then called social equality. The same thing is true with

toys and games except there's a there's an added dimension there. In other words

in toys and games African Americans are portrayed as Coons and Toms and Sambos

and pickinnies, but they're often portrayed as victims. Targets as we saw before.

Also toys to be made to dance that the user can manipulate that the user can

abuse in some ways some of the the toys and games in a museum demonstrate.

In the old museum we did not have space to tell stories of how African Americans

responded to racism. How they responded to the violence. How they

responded to the caricatures. We are blessed in the new space to have some

room to talk for example about how African American artist deconstruct

racism. How they sort of used their art as a critique of racism. One of my

favorite pieces is the piece "No More" by John Lockhart because unlike the way

mammy was portrayed in movies and on some material objects, on his piece he

has a strong Mammy. She's not content with her position in life. She's not

loyal. She is a woman who wants her rights.

The new museum affords us the opportunity to tell the story of African

Americans who achieved despite Jim Crow. The main idea is this that even during

the violence of Jim Crow and the the suffocating oppressive, almost

omnipresent nature of Jim Crow, you had African Americans who were scholars, who

were inventors, who were thinkers, who were civil rights leaders, politicians

people who serve the country proudly in the military, and we think that that is a

testimony of the resiliency not just of African American people but of people in

general. The one part of the museum that I wish was larger and indeed if we

do an expansion this is one of the areas that will be expanded. And that is the

the area associated with civil rights. Think of the civil rights movement this

way. The signing of the 1964 Civil Rights Act ,which we have one of the ink

pens that President Johnson used to sign that landmark legislation into law,

the signing of that bill represents the official death of Jim Crow. Now we know

that the civil rights movement did not achieve all of its goals. And we know in

some ways that it lasted beyond its period. But I like having a civil rights

section of the museum because it was a direct affront, assault on Jim Crow. Not

just the laws but also Jim Crow the customs. You know what once a guy said to

me you can't legislate morality, you can't legislate behavior, and and I

thought about that yes that's true in some ways, but the reality is this, when

the laws the segregation laws were taken down it made it easier for people to

change behavior. Not some of the may be the older people that had existed during

the time but certainly for the generations that followed. I think change

in the laws did matter. And I think ultimately they made it easier that

change behavior.

When people go through the museum they first see all the

history of who was Jim Crow what was Jim Crow. And then they see the the role of

violence and how violence served as an underpinning of Jim Crow. And then they

see also the role that caricatured objects played in both reflecting and

shaping Jim Crow. And it leaves a really bad taste in your mouth.

And then they get to the section on african-american achievement. They get to

the section on african-american artists who use their art to deconstruct racism.

And then they see the civil rights movement which represented the death of

Jim Crow. And then they feel good and it's this this feel-good story. But the

story didn't in there. The reality is even though America is more democratic

and more egalitarian than it has ever been. Race still matters in the U.S. All

the images that you would have seen in the early part of the museum are still

being produced. They are reproduced on modern objects

like mouse pads. Sometimes they reproduce to fool customers so they are pretend

antiques, fake antiques. Some of them are just reproduced as cheap versions of the

old objects. Because there is still a market for those ideas. The truth is this

the struggle against racism in general continues and against racist imagery in

particular continues.

The Jim Crow Museum could could probably outfit an entire section just on objects

that defame President Obama. By defame I don't just mean objects that disagree

with his positions and policies. Certainly any fair-minded thoughtful

thinking person can disagree with any politicians including presidents Obama's

policies. I am speaking of objects that defame him racially. That portray him as

a monkey, a savage, a cannibal, a Tom. In other words objects that treat him the

same way african-americans were portrayed during the Jim Crow period.

If we do our work correctly. It means that a visitor to the museum doesn't hear us

talk the entire time. Instead we give them enough of the information about the

museum and then we create in a deliberate intentional way a

conversation among the people in the party. So you look at an object and you

are asked the question what is it you see? What else is it you see? Why do you

say that? Why do you believe what it is you're saying? And people listed. So one

person looking at Aunt Jemima sees vestiges of slavery and segregation.

Someone else sees in a real way a kind of nostalgic recreation of their

childhood. The purpose is not to tell one that they write another that they're

wrong, although I have an opinion, the purpose is to have them engaged in

dialogue. Again we're a we're at an institution. We believe in a triumph of

dialogue and we start with the visual thinking strategies of what is it you

see?

This mural is called the Cloud of Witnesses mural. It is one of the things

that that we simply had to have in the museum. Because it honors the lives

of some of the people that were killed during the civil rights movement. And if

you notice the names are written because we don't want people to forget their

names. We don't want people to forget that they pay the ultimate price. This

room then, with them as the backdrop, becomes a space where a small group of

people 10 15 20 people can sit and can dialogue about what they just saw, what

they just experienced in the Jim Crow Museum. But also they can talk about what

is it we as Americans need to be doing.