WOI-TV airs Duke Slater piece for Black History Month
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Feb. 10—CLINTON — In observance of Black History Month, the sports director for WOI-TV in Des Moines made a trip to Clinton last week to do a story on the life of Frederick "Duke" Slater and his new statue that will be built outside of Clinton High School.
Reina Garcia met with members from the Clinton Hometown Pride Program last Thursday and also with Neal Rozendaal, the author of Slater's biography "Duke Slater: Pioneering Black NFL Player and Judge".
She conducted interviews and put together a piece on Slater and the impressions that he left on Clinton to celebrate Black History Month in Iowa.
The story broke down the life of Slater, talking about his time on the field, including all his accolades that he picked up on the way. Then it jumped into his career after football. He became a judge in Chicago and used his voice to help break down barriers. He was the second Black judge elected to the Cook County Municipal Court and was the first Black judge to be elevated to the Chicago Superior Court.
The entire story can be found on WOI-TV's website at https://www.weareiowa.com/article/news/local/black-history/frederick-wayman-duke-slater-iowa-football-hawkeyes-black-history-month/524-81959102-ff1b-4a99-a489-dcd1cb431d4e
On Monday, the Clinton Hometown Pride Program met with the Clinton Rotary Club to discuss the project in further detail as well as gain financial support.
The Clinton Hometown Pride Program plans on putting the statue on the corner of South Ninth Street and Eighth Avenue South so that it will overlook the football field. The statue will be unveiled in August 2024. Along with a statue, the program would also like to make a scholarship fund in Slater's name.
Currently they have raised enough money to build the statue but are looking for more funds to create the scholarship fund. The committee hopes this project will help inspire students at CHS and the community as a whole.
