Richard Gergel will give a talk on his book Unexampled Courage, which 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. Richard Gergel is a United States district judge who presides in the same courthouse in Charleston, South Carolina, where Judge Waring once served. A native of Columbia, South Carolina, Judge Gergel earned undergraduate and law degrees from Duke University.

Part of the Voices and Votes: Democracy in America traveling exhibit of the Smithsonian Institution, on display at the Aiken County Historical Museum from July 23 through September 3, 2022.​ In anticipation of this honor, a Program Committee has worked with partners to assemble 15 different events from late February to early September, to be held free of charge in venues across the community. The exhibit and all programs offer wide-ranging reflections on the storied history of voting rights in America, many with a local focus.