The Idaho Black History museum located inside Julia Davis park recently acquired several new artifacts to add to their displays. Items in the collection include an original Ku Klux Klan robe, Klan knife, and green book. Green books were referred to as "motorist and tourist guide" for African American folks to safely travel from town to town, state to state.
With the Ku Klux Klan originating in Tennessee, most would assume evidence of the "KKK" would exist in the south, however, the robe and Klan knife were found right here in Idaho, "We look at American now-beautiful place but we seem to forget about our history and those of us that live in Idaho we're insulated and isolated from some of those narratives." says executive director of the Idaho Black History Museum, Phillip Thompson.
Thompson adds that he hopes these new additions will show locals that even the Gem state played a large role in a racially tense time. For more information on Black History here in Idaho and around the country, you can visit the museum's website.
