Big Muddy Speaker Series

Presentation by Professor of History at Southern Illinois University of Edwardsville Bryan Jack

Tuesday, October 11th, 2022

• 7 p.m. presentation (6 p.m. Social Hour)
• Register for Virtual Zoom Option here.
• Watch it LIVE on our YouTube Channel (and you can also catch the recording there later)
• The Bistro at Les Bourgeois Vineyards in Rocheport, MO
• Google Map – Directions Below

The Bistro Restaurant is closed on Tuesdays, but the bar will be open. You ARE welcome to come early, bring some food and gather with friends before the presentation. Speaker Series attendees are welcome after 6:00 p.m.

Hosted by Missouri River Relief 

In 1879, thousands of African Americans fled the post-Reconstruction South in search of political, economic, and social opportunity in Kansas. Called “Exodusters” after the Biblical story of escape from oppression, many arrived in St. Louis destitute, and city officials refused to help. To the stranded Exodusters, St. Louis became a barrier as formidable as the Red Sea. However, through a commitment to civil rights and a remarkable display of community organization, African Americans in St. Louis came together to sustain the Exodusters’ material needs as well as provide funds to continue their journey. The Exoduster movement, and the relief efforts that supported it, provide a unique opportunity to further our understanding of St. Louis as a city, of Missouri as a state, and of African American life in an era of dramatic change.

Bryan Jack is associate professor of historical studies at Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville. He is the the editor of Southern History on Screen: Race and Rights, 1976–2016 and The Saint Louis African American Community and the Exodusters.  His articles have appeared in The Griot and the Councilor, and in international publications from the British Association of American Studies and American Studies of Turkey. Jack earned his PhD from Saint Louis University, a master’s degree from the University of Alabama, and a bachelor’s degree from Baker University. He lives in the city of St. Louis.

Directions

• 14020 W. Hwy BB, Rocheport, MO
• Take I-70 to the Rocheport, MO, exit (Exit #115). It’s the first exit east of the Missouri River.
• Head north toward Rocheport.
• After about a mile, turn left at the sign for Les Bourgeois Bistro. Follow the signs to the Bistro. You will probably need to park in the lot above the Bistro and walk the trail down.
• The presentations are held in upstairs in the restaurant. The restaurant is no longer open on Tuesdays but the bar is! You are welcome to bring your own food or snacks.