Visitors who have seen the pieces in the latest exhibit at the Suffolk County Historical Society have been shocked, said executive director Kathy Curran.
The items in the exhibit show the history of intolerance toward blacks on Long Island, and detail how organizations like the Ku Klux Klan were active on the East End as recently as 50 years ago.
“It’s just a form of education,” Ms. Curran said in a story that will run in the Jan. 24 paper. “We’re not editing history.”
The exhibit, called “Hidden and Forbidden,” will open on Feb. 1 at the Suffolk County Historical Society in Riverhead with a sister exhibition at East End Arts. Part of the exhibit documents artists attemps to “reclaim” the black identity in the face of racism.
See below to learn more about the history of racism on the East End and get a sneak peek of the pieces in the exhibit.