A Black vintage shopper said she spotted minstrel figurines at an estate sale in Alabama, an unexpected discovery she said left her “shook.”
Kennedy Synclaire, dubbed @shopsecondhand on TikTok, opened up about her experience on the social media platform earlier this week.
In the video — which had garnered nearly 9 million views at the time of publication — Synclaire showed the different items at the sale, including a Confederate flag pillow and wooden framed paintings of ex-U.S. presidents like George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.
As the video continues, the vintage curator shows multiple racist figurines, a Black rag doll that says “hug me,” and paintings that appear to show Black people holding watermelons. Historically, these images and racist ceramics were used to depict negative stereotypes and dehumanize the Black community.
“Weekly reminder to never get too comfortable living in Alabama,” the video caption said. “NONE of that was shown in the previews…”
In a separate video, the Southern-based creator explained that she came across the event on a website called estatesales.net — a directory that helps users find auctions or sales.
Synclaire said the listing showed farmhouse-style items and beer signs, but she specifically went for a pair of Ralph Lauren vintage flower-embroidered cowboy boots. She explained that once she got to the crowded location, she realized that the shoes were not her size, but she continued to browse the home for other finds.
“That’s when I started seeing everything,” she said, adding, “I just froze. I was shook. These people were ransacking the house for this stuff.”
Synclaire noted that she had previously attended sales from the event host and had never come across racist items in the past. She said she wished she had gotten a heads-up that it wasn’t a “safe place.” However, she did purchase a Coach bag, a vintage denim tote bag, two crossbody bags, two belts and a pair of Uggs for $12.
“If you ask me, it should have been free for the amount of trauma that I went through,” Synclaire added.
