The name Isaac Woodard does not register the way those of other influential people of the American Civil Rights movement might, but his story is critical to the U.S. government's response to its treatment of Black people.
Freshly returned from service in World War II, the uniformed officer was on his way home in the Deep South when a violent attack at the hands of law enforcement left him without sight.
The military then denied Woodard his disability claim due to the fact that the disability followed his active service.
But popular Black American entertainers and sports personalities rose up and raised funds for him in a star-studded affair, and then, even the president of the United States - recognizing the shame of it all - responded, too.
The case would unite forces that would ultimately drive out segregation in U.S. schools.
"The Blinding of Isaac Woodard" is the latest installment of the PBS anthology series American Experience, premiering Tuesday on PBS stations.
Producer and Director Jamila Ephron joins Cincinnati Edition to talk about the film.
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