He received both his Masters and Doctorate in History from the University of Mississippi, where he specialized in 20th century Southern history with an emphasis on the civil rights movement. Dr. Butler co-authored Victory After the Fall: The Memories of Civil Rights Activist H. K. Matthews, has published essays in the Journal of Southern History, the Florida Historical Quarterly, Southern Cultures, Popular Music and Society, and the Journal of Mississippi History, and written multiple reviews and encyclopedia entries for various academic journals. His latest manuscript is titled Beyond Integration: The Black Freedom Struggle in Escambia County, Florida, 1960-2000 and will be published by the University of North Carolina Press in Spring 2016.