Wil Haygood Featured in PBS Documentary on Thurgood Marshall
04 Sep 2025
Acclaimed author, journalist, Miami University scholar and APB exclusive speaker Wil Haygood is prominently featured in the new PBS documentary Becoming Thurgood: America’s Social Architect, which will air nationwide on September 9 at 9 p.m. ET. The film chronicles the life and legacy of Thurgood Marshall, the first Black U.S. Supreme Court justice, whose groundbreaking work in civil rights law transformed the nation.
Haygood, the author of Showdown: Thurgood Marshall and the Supreme Court Nomination That Changed America, appears in both the documentary trailer and the upcoming full-length film. Drawing on decades of research and writing, he provides context and commentary on Marshall’s influence—not only as a legal giant, but as a cultural figure whose work continues to shape American life.
“Thurgood paved the way for little Wil Haygood, born in 1954, to become the writer and historian that he is,” Haygood says in the film. “I owe Thurgood Marshall a huge debt.”
The documentary combines rare archival recordings, personal photographs, and interviews with Marshall’s family, colleagues, and leading scholars. Haygood’s perspective helps situate Marshall’s life within today’s national conversation on race, justice, and equity.
Haygood’s voice and reflections on history feel especially urgent today. Known for his ability to connect the past with present struggles for equity, Haygood continues to bring audiences across the country deeper insight into the figures who have shaped America’s moral and political landscape.