When I read about Sgt. Isaac Woodard via Wikipedia, I had to take many breaks because I could believe what I was reading and I couldn’t breathe.
It was so hurtful to imagine what I read, and I know tears will flow openly when I attend this Tribute in Charleston, SC next month.
Here’s a piece I read before I took my first pause,
“Isaac Woodard Jr. (March 18, 1919 – September 23, 1992) was a decorated African-American World War II veteran. On February 12, 1946, hours after being honorably discharged from the United States Army, he was attacked while still in uniform by South Carolina police as he was taking a bus home. The attack and his injuries sparked national outrage and galvanized the civil rights movement in the United States.
The attack left Woodard completely and permanently blind. Due to South Carolina’s reluctance to pursue the case, President Harry S. Truman ordered a federal investigation. The sheriff, Lynwood Shull, was indicted and went to trial in federal court in South Carolina, where he was acquitted by an all-white jury.”
I read further and found Sgt. Woodard’s Affidavit read by director, actor and radio host, Orson Wells.
Get a head start. If you don’t know Sgt. Isaac Woodard, Google him. You will be alarmed, saddened, and want to be part of the tribute presented by the Charleston Gospel Choir. Visit Charlestongospelchoir.org.
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