Free Educational Topics in Indianapolis

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  • The Underground Railroad in Indiana

    Jeannie Regan-Dinius, Director of Special Initiatives, DNR-DHPA

    As enslaved Africans tried to gain their freedom, many decided that their only option was to run north into states that did not allow slavery or into Canada. Many slaves escaped with no assistance, but others were helped by participants of what has become known as the Underground Railroad (UGRR). The UGRR was most active in Indiana between 1830 and 1865. MORE >

    The UGRR was neither underground nor a railroad. The UGRR refers to the network of individuals and communities that helped fugitive slaves. Sometimes the assistance was spontaneous, other times highly organized. Because aiding an escaping slave was illegal, the activity was usually carried out in secret.

    UGRR participants were diverse. Blacks and whites, slaves and freed, men and women from the North and South helped those searching for freedom. Food, clothing, shelter, guidance, and protection from slave hunters were given at a risk to everyone involved.

    Every Indiana community has oral histories about those individuals who participated in the Underground Railroad (UGRR), but the nature of the network sometimes makes it difficult to find evidence to substantiate the stories. A statewide initiative, the Indiana Freedom Trails, is working to confirm and document sites that can be definitively linked to the UGRR. Every day, researchers comb the archives in small historical societies looking for information about Indiana’s involvement in the Underground Railroad.

    Jeannie R. Regan-Dinius, Director of Special Initiatives, will discuss Indiana’s role in the events, talk about documenting stories, and offer suggestions you can use in your county.

    Jeannie, Director of Special Initiatives, has a life-long interest in history, family history, and research. She earned her Bachelors in Public History from Ball State University, where she studied also anthropology and American Studies. She has her Masters in Urban Planning and Information Management/Library Science from Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis with additional graduate course work in public history.

    Before coming to the State, she was the Executive Director of a 96-acre historic park in Huntington, IN. She came to the state in 2000 to help work on the Underground Railroad research initiative. She was given the additional responsibility of the Cemetery Registry, the Historic Theater Initiative, and public outreach.

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  • Judaism 101

    Dina David, Holocaust Education Program Director, Bureau of Jewish Education

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  • Electronic Home Invasion

    Greg Wright, Certified Fraud Examiner, Assoc. of Certified Fraud Examineers

    PROTECTING YOURSELF AGAINST IDENTITY THEFT
    This is one of Greg's most popular courses. An insurance agent stole 3,000 Identities of Indianapolis area professionals. Greg tracked this fraudster from youth to the fraud, to discovery, to prison and his post-prison life. He interviewed the fraudster while in prison, after his release from prison, his victims, the law enforcement officers that tracked him down, and his former wife. From this case study and the latest information, learn how to protect yourself from financial identity theft. One-third of Social Security numbers are being used by two or more persons.
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  • Most Estates are Hijacked – How to Keep Yours Safe

    Greg Wright, Certified Fraud Examiner, Assoc. of Certified Fraud Examineers

    Why your estate plan MAY never BE realized when assets go to unintended persons. Who are the hijackers and how to avoid them.

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  • HISTORICAL EVENTS LEADING UP TO THE EXODUS

    Greg Wright, Certified Fraud Examiner, Assoc. of Certified Fraud Examineers

    In the book, 1177 BC: The Year Civilization Collapsed, the world of the Bronze Age came to an abrupt end. Kingdoms fell like dominoes. No more Minoans, or Mycenaeans, or Trojans, or Hittites, or Babylonians. These cultures suddenly ceased to exist. These events help us understand Joseph being sold by his brothers and the Exodus.

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