Veterans Day means something to me. Besides being a pioneering judge, my dad was also a war hero who landed at Omaha Beach on D-Day and was awarded medals for his valor in World War II. He loved to tell me: "The military is no place for a Black man." #VeteransDay 1/ https://twitter.com/newsone/status/1326517661820350465

Here's a copy of his draft card along with a harsh reminder of how the country that drafted him to defend it really felt about him. 2/

Dad rarely spoke about the war, but a Getty Images caption says he wrote a letter to Eleanor Roosevelt to integrate the troops in 1943. Through her, he joined the 1st Infantry Division, a platoon known as the "Big Red One." Here he is with some other Black WWII vets in 2004. 3/

He entered law school after the war and went on to become a trailblazing champion for bail reform before it was really a thing. This NYT story from 1979 covered Dad's "refusal to set bail for a black defendant" - a decision that earned him the nickname, "Turn 'Em Loose, Bruce" 4/

Here is Rev. Herbert Daughtry defending my dad (seated 2nd from left) and his bail policies at a press conference in Brooklyn in 1979 after the NYPD police union came after him - the same man who fought for their freedom in WWII. This is America. Happy #VeteransDay2020 5/5

Also, buy his book! "Black Robes, White Justice" remains extra relevant more than 30 years after it was first published and is still required reading at many colleges and universities. https://www.amazon.com/Black-Robes-White-Justice-Wright/dp/0818405236