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South Carolina

Pastor Marches 40 Miles to Demand Racial Harm Study

Rev. Dr. Robert R.A. Turner walks from Batesburg-Leesville to Columbia to press state lawmakers on a commission examining racial harm and remedies.

Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Military

Bold flat-color editorial illustration of a straight rural highway receding toward a domed state capitol silhouette beneath pines, evoking a long civil-rights march.
Rev. Dr. Robert R.A. Turner begins a 40-mile march from Batesburg-Leesville to Columbia, demanding state lawmakers establish a commission on racial harm and remedies. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Should South Carolina create a commission to study racial harm and remedies?

Rev. Dr. Robert R.A. Turner began a 40-mile march from Batesburg-Leesville to Columbia before dawn Thursday, retracing Highway 1. He is demanding state lawmakers establish a study commission on racial harm and remedies.

Why it matters

The march marks 80 years since an all-white jury acquitted a Batesburg police chief charged in the beating of decorated Black World War II veteran Sgt. Isaac Woodard. The case reached President Harry Truman and ultimately contributed to the desegregation of the military.

The march covers 40 miles along Highway 1 from Batesburg-Leesville to Columbia, marking 80 years since the acquittal tied to the 1946 attack on Sgt. Isaac Woodard, which left him permanently blind. The extraction does not indicate whether lawmakers have responded to the commission request.

The players

Rev. Dr. Robert R.A. Turner

Turner is a Boston pastor and author of "Creating a Culture of Repair."

Sgt. Isaac Woodard

Woodard was a decorated Black World War II veteran whose 1946 beating by a Batesburg police chief left him permanently blind and drew attention up to President Harry Truman.

Harry Truman

Truman was the U.S. president to whom the Woodard case was brought, a matter later linked to the desegregation of the military.

The details

Turner drove from his home to begin the trek at the Sgt. Isaac Woodard historical marker in Batesburg-Leesville. He is scheduled to finish on the South Carolina State House steps late Thursday afternoon, November 5, 2026.

Timeline

  1. 1946: Police chief attacked Sgt. Isaac Woodard, leaving him permanently blind.

  2. 80 years before the march: An all-white jury acquitted the Batesburg police chief.

  3. Thursday, November 5, 2026: Turner began the 40-mile march before dawn.

  4. Late Thursday afternoon, November 5, 2026: Turner scheduled to reach the State House steps.

Historical Context

The march revisits the 1946 beating of Sgt. Isaac Woodard, an event that reached President Harry Truman and ultimately contributed to the desegregation of the military. Turner's effort applies that historical case to a current demand for a state study commission on racial harm and remedies.

Residents along Highway 1 between Batesburg-Leesville and Columbia may see the march on the roadway and near the State House. The march's push for a study commission would affect how South Carolina considers racial harm if lawmakers act on the request.

The takeaway

A march tied to a 1946 case shows how historical injustices can remain part of current policy debates. Readers can track whether lawmakers respond to requests for a study commission on racial harm.

What happens next

Turner is scheduled to reach the South Carolina State House steps late Thursday afternoon, November 5, 2026, completing the 40-mile march.

Further reading

Explore more Military coverage to see how this 1946 case connects to the desegregation of the armed forces.

Live Poll

Should South Carolina create a commission to study racial harm and remedies?