Unexampled Courage

The Blinding of Sgt. Isaac Woodard and the Awakening of President Harry S. Truman and Judge J. Waties Waring

By: Richard Gergel

Narrated by: Richard Gergel, Tom Zingarelli

*The book that inspired the 2021 PBS American Experience documentary, The Blinding of Isaac Woodard.*

This program includes an introduction read by the author.

How the blinding of Sergeant Isaac Woodard changed the course of America’s civil rights history.

Richard Gergel’s Unexampled Courage details the impact of the blinding of Sergeant Woodard on the racial awakening of President Truman and Judge Waring, and traces their influential roles in changing the course of America’s civil rights history.

On February 12, 1946, Sergeant Isaac Woodard, a returning, decorated African American veteran, was removed from a Greyhound bus in Batesburg, South Carolina, after he challenged the bus driver’s disrespectful treatment of him. Woodard, in uniform, was arrested by the local police chief, Lynwood Shull, and beaten and blinded while in custody.

President Harry Truman was outraged by the incident. He established the first presidential commission on civil rights and his Justice Department filed criminal charges against Shull. In July 1948, following his commission’s recommendation, Truman ordered an end to segregation in the U.S. armed forces. An all-white South Carolina jury acquitted Shull, but the presiding judge, J. Waties Waring, was conscience-stricken by the failure of the court system to do justice by the soldier. Waring described the trial as his “baptism of fire,” and began issuing major civil rights decisions from his Charleston courtroom, including his 1951 dissent in Briggs v. Elliott declaring public school segregation per se unconstitutional. Three years later, the Supreme Court adopted Waring’s language and reasoning in Brown v. Board of Education.

Brilliant, wonderful account

This was a fine book and reading. Wonderful in so many respects - the writing, subject matter, etc. As a African American lawyer, I was moved by the retelling of this story. Judge Gergel should be applauded for his efforts here. The book is well worth the time reading it for anyone with passing interest in American civil rights history in the post-WWII era.

Unknown and powerful story not to be missed

I am so grateful to the author for this fantastic and informative history weaving together so many lives. The sad legacy of slavery took so many forms and ruined so many lives and communities. This book elevates the bravery of many people who changed the tide through their courage and sacrifice. I am inspired by the power of individual moral commitments and now so much better informed about how we ever got to the landmark Brown decision. Bravo! A great book and great listen.

Change results from courageous 'smart-power'

If you're looking for a story with many lessons for making positive change in your world, this is it. This story illustrates that perfect people, optimal circumstances, and hordes of followers are not the key to fostering social transformation. Simply pursuing what is right, one step at a time, and not allowing fear or public opinion to stop you...these are the keys and all the Universe will conspire to help such a determined person.

Heart-warming! True! Beautifully written!

Very good. history

The narrator was very good and understandable. I enjoyed listening to the historical events and gained a good insight to the struggle that African Americans had in the south.I highly recommend this book.

Important historical account of one judge’s role along the road to desegregation of public schools.

I applaud the author’s detailed account of Judge Waring and his contribution to the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark decision overturning Plessy v Ferguson. Unfortunately, this account utterly dismisses the equally important role of Delaware Judge Collins J. Seitz, Sr., who was the only judge AFFIRMED by the U.S. Supreme Court in the 1954 Brown v Board of Education ruling. Judge Waring wrote a courageous dissent. Judge Seitz ruled in favor of the black students and ordered their immediate admission to a public elementary and secondary school in the two consolidated cases before him in 1952. It would have been appropriate for the author to acknowledge Judge Seitz’s unexampled courage as well.