Federal District Judge Richard Gergel Reflects on President Truman’s Racial Awakening

INDEPENDENCE, Mo. – The Harry S. Truman Library and Museum is commemorating the 71^st anniversary of President Truman issuing an executive order desegregating the armed forces with a special program that examines the event that led to the formation of the first presidential commission on civil rights.

On Thursday, July 18 at 6:30 p.m., the Truman Library, the Truman Library Institute and the Historical Society for the Western District of Missouri (Howard Sachs Chapter) will host a public program featuring Judge Richard Gergel, Federal District Judge of the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina and author of Unexampled Courage: The Blinding of Sgt. Isaac Woodard and the Awakening of President Harry S. Truman and Judge J. Waties Waring.

Judge Gergel currently presides in the same courthouse where Judge J. Waties Waring heard arguments from President Truman’s Justice Department against a police officer who beat and blinded Sgt. Isaac Woodard, a decorated African-American World War II veteran, hours after he had been honorably discharged. Though an all-white jury acquitted the police officer, this case served as a turning point for both Truman and Waring, leading to the establishment of the first presidential commission on civil rights and the issuing of major civil rights decisions from Waring’s South Carolina courtroom.

The free public program, titled ‘To Secure These Rights,’ will tell Sgt. Woodard’s story and examine the profound impact it had on President Truman and Judge Waring. The program is free but RSVPs are requested.

This is the last public program scheduled before the Truman Library temporarily closes for a massive renovation project. The museum will remain open throughout the day on July 18 until the start of the event, allowing for guests to arrive early to enjoy the Truman Library one last time before it closes for the transformation.

‘To Secure These Rights’ Event Details:

• Thursday, July 18, 2019
• Media and the public are invited to the public program that evening at 6:30 p.m., with a public reception preceding at 6:00 p.m.
• The program is free but RSVPs are requested.
• The Harry S. Truman Library and Museum is located at 500 W. U.S. Hwy. 24, Independence, Mo. 64050.

The Truman Library Institute is the member-supported, nonprofit partner of the Harry S. Truman Library and Museum, one of 14 presidential libraries of the National Archives. The Truman Library Institute draws on President Truman’s legacy to enrich the public understanding of history, the presidency and America’s unique form of government. This mission is achieved through the development and funding of world-class museum exhibits, a robust international research grant program, public forums and nationally acclaimed education programs serving more than 50,000 students and teachers each year. Learn more at TrumanLibraryInstitute.org.

CONTACT:

Lacey Helmig, Director of Communications
816.400.1217
Lacey.Helmig@TrumanLibraryInstitute.org