Darrel Dexter
Retired teacher Darrel Dexter is always anxious to share what he's learned about and from Illinois history with those who are enthusiastic to learn.
As an Illinois Humanities Road Scholar, Darrel welcomes the opportunity to share and expand his audience beyond the local organizations in extreme southern Illinois, where he most often speaks.
Presentation 1 of 2
Available
Joseph Rodney – Freedom Seeker on the Illinois Central Railroad
This presentation tells the story of Joseph who was enslaved on a plantation in Mississippi County, Missouri, and of his escape to Cairo, Illinois, in 1855. A free woman of color living in the town purchased a ticket for him on the Illinois Central Railroad to Chicago. Joseph dodged slave catchers while his enslaver, Thomas Rodney, followed close behind on another train. Joseph and Thomas met on the street outside the train station in Chicago, but Joseph was able to escape to freedom with the help of "friends" on the Underground Railroad.
In a historic case, Thomas Rodney brought suit against the Illinois Central Railroad Company for selling Joseph a ticket. The first trial was held in the historic Thebes Courthouse and eventually reached the Illinois Supreme Court. The significant decision of the court was that all persons in Illinois are assumed to be free regardless of skin color. Passengers on railroads in the state did not have to prove their freedom before obtaining a ticket.
This presentation will help the audience better imagine the flight of Joseph by viewing records of his enslavement in Missouri and photographs from his time of individuals and places significant to his story. Modern photographs help bridge the past with the present and help viewers connect with the story of Joseph, a freedom seeker.
Audience Recommendations
This presentation is suitable for middle school (age 11 to 14) and high school (age 14 to 18) students, and adults of all ages.
Program Logistics
This 45-minute presentation will be followed by a 15 to 20-minute question and answer session in which the Darrel Dexter and the audience will have opportunities to ask questions and to answer them. The host should provide a laptop, projector, screen, and podium. A table for displaying items and books is requested. Any audio or video recording must be discussed with and approved in writing by Darrel Dexter prior to the presentation.
Presentation 2 of 2
Available
Pulling off the Sheets – The Second Ku Klux Klan in Deep Southern Illinois
This presentation shares the story of the Darrel's discovery of the 1924 Ku Klux Klan and initiation that occurred less than a half mile from his childhood home. Although the site was passed daily on rides to school or church, no one ever talked about the site's connection to the Klan that had been active in the area only a few decades earlier.
This presentation "pulls the sheets" off the history of the Klan in Illinois and examines what happens when we hide or run from our past. The story is told in a nonjudgmental way that encourages us to confront our past and prepares us to move past those painful experiences.
Photographs (contemporary and current) of people and places involved in the story will be presented, with copies of newspaper accounts of Klan activity in Illinois in the 1920s.
Audience Recommendations
The presentation is suitable for middle school students (ages 11 to 14), high school students (ages 14 to 18) and adults of all ages.
Program Logistics
This presentation is about 50 minutes in length with about 15 minutes for questions and answers. Both Darrel Dexter and the audience will have opportunities to ask and answer questions. The host should provide a laptop, projector, and screen. A table for displaying photographs and books connected to the topic is requested. Any audio or video recording must be discussed with and approved in writing by Darrel Dexter prior to the presentation.
Bio
Based in Jonesboro, IL
Darrel Dexter is retired from full-time teaching, having taught 4th grade, middle school, high school, and college level classes. He has authored several award-winning books, including Bondage in Egypt--Slavery in Southern Illinois, and Pulling Off the Sheets--The Second Ku Klux Klan in Deep Southern Illinois. As a genealogist, Dexter has also compiled 32 books to aid historical research into southern Illinois families.
Dexter is able to tell the stories from his region's past in a way that enables listeners from other regions and diverse backgrounds to better understand the world in which they live.
Book this Road Scholar
Follow the steps below to book a presentation.
- Contact Darrel to schedule a date and time via email at darreldexter@hotmail.com or via phone at (618) 833-0379.
- Once you and Darrel have agreed upon a date and time, complete the online Road Scholars Host Organization application.
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