The National Museum of African
American History and Culture accepted two authentic Ku Klux Klan robes on Monday. In the past, displaying artifacts from historical perpetrators has been considered ethically questionable, but Sandra Parks, donor of the robes and widow of activist Stetson Kennedy, explains “the purpose of the gift was to show the world the absurdity of an American terrorist organization from the inside…[and that] more Americans will come to understand the significance and the bravery of the people who fought against this powerful and destructive organization.”[1] Stetson Kennedy actually acquired one of the robes after infiltrating the Klan and rising though its security forces ranks. Through focusing on the activists who fought against the klan, instead of the klan itself, the artifacts might be more readily accepted and less controversial. Lonnie Bunch, the founding director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, says that “in some ways you can’t understand the African American experience until you understand the depth of the struggle,” which can be shown through the klan’s robes.[2]
[1] Trescott, Jacqueline “Smithsonian accepts Klan robes for future museum.” Washington Post (2011). Accessed November 29, 2011, http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/arts-post/post/smithsonian-accepts-klan-robes-for-future-museum/2011/11/28/gIQAyVu15N_blog.html. Photo courtesy of this source - By: Michael R. Barnes / Smithsonian Institution – NMAAHC
[2] Trescott, Jacqueline “Smithsonian accepts Klan robes for future museum.”