J. Waties Waring and the Dissent That Changed America
presented by
Judge Richard Gergel
Tuesday, April 10, 2018
5:30 pm, wine reception. 6:00 Presentation and Discussion
Charleston Museum, 360 Meeting Street
Tickets: early-bird $20 until March 23; regular price $30 after March 23
U.S. District Judge J. Waties Waring was the son of a Confederate soldier but later became a hero of the civil rights movement, though he was vilified for his views.
In 1951, in a landmark school segregation case Briggs v. Elliott, Waring denounced segregation as an “evil that must be eradicated.” His forceful dissent helped pave the way for the U.S. Supreme Court’s Brown v. Board of Education ruling in 1954.
U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel, who today presides in the same courtroom where Waring sat more than a half-century ago, has done exhaustive research into Waring’s life and career, poring over the rich trove of personal papers that Waring left behind.
Judge Gergel will speak about Judge Waring at 6:00 pm. He will then be joined in a dialogue with Armand Derfner, one of the nation’s leading civil rights lawyers. This discussion will be moderated by Chris Bryant, an attorney with the firm Yarborough Applegate, and former clerk for Judge Gergel.
This event will explore the significant role Charleston has played in advancing Civil Rights in America.
Event sponsored by the Princeton Club of Charleston and is open to the public.
For further information and tickets, click here.
Direct queries to Gregg Smythe: greggsmythe@gmail.com, (843) 442-1981.
(Photo credit: Princeton Club)
–Tidelines Editor