Readout of the Justice Department’s Servicemembers and Veterans Initiative Program Honoring the Life and Legacy of Sgt. Isaac Woodard

The Justice Department’s Servicemembers and Veterans Initiative (SVI), in partnership with the Department of Veterans Affairs’ Center for Minority Veterans, convened a program yesterday to honor our nation’s servicemembers for their sacrifices and contributions to our country.

In his opening remarks, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland welcomed attendees and recognized the significant achievements of our nation’s servicemembers and veterans to keep us safe, and highlighted the Justice Department’s efforts to safeguard the rights of members of the armed forces and their families. The Attorney General’s remarks focused attention on the many significant contributions of Sergeant Isaac Woodard, including his military service, and the civil rights advancements, including integration of the armed forces and federal government, sparked in reaction to the abhorrent abuse inflicted upon him.

Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division moderated a fireside chat with featured guest U.S. District Court Judge Richard Gergel for the District of South Carolina. In addition to his judicial service, Judge Gergel is the author of Unexampled Courage: The Blinding of Sgt. Isaac Woodard and the Awakening of America.

Sgt. Woodard was a decorated Black soldier who was honorably discharged after serving more than three years in the Pacific during World War II. On his journey home to North Carolina, he asked the bus driver to stop so that he could use the restroom. Instead of honoring Sgt. Woodard’s request, the bus driver launched a verbal tirade at him using racial slurs. Sgt. Woodard stood up for himself and asked to be treated with dignity and respect. The bus driver called the local police, and while still in uniform, Sgt. Woodard was arrested, brutally beaten, and blinded while in police custody in Batesburg, South Carolina.

During the fireside chat, Assistant Attorney General Clarke and Judge Gergel discussed this tragic story that served as a catalyst for significant advancements during the Civil Rights Movement. Specifically, Judge Gergel discussed the direct link between Sgt. Woodard’s story and President Harry S. Truman’s issuance of Executive Order 9981 banning segregation in the military, among other actions.

The program was moderated by SVI Director Nicole Siegel. It concluded with remarks from the Center for Minority Veterans Director James Albino. He discussed the center’s work to ensure all veterans receive equal service regardless of race, origin, religion, or gender.

Attendees included over 300 employees, including many veterans, from across the federal government, including the Departments of Justice, Veterans Affairs, Defense, Education, Labor, Housing and Urban Development, and many others. 

The Servicemember and Veterans Initiative, housed in the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, works to ensure that the rights of the brave men and women of our nation’s armed forces, and the veterans who have served in the past, are safeguarded from discrimination and unfair treatment. To learn more about the Justice Department’s Servicemember and Veterans Initiative, please visit Servicemembers and Veterans Initiative.