"When an individual is protesting society's refusal to acknowledge his dgnity as a human being, his very act of protest confers dignity on him."--Bayard Rustin
"Bigotry's birthplace is the sinister back room of the mind where plots and schemes are hatched for the persecution and oppression of other human beings."
--Bayard Rustin
From The Rebellious Sixties? Yes, I Remember:
A master strategist and tireless activist, you may be best remembered as the organizer of the 1963 March on Washington, on of the largest nonviolent protest ever held in the United States. You brought Gandhi's protest techniques to the American civil rights movement. You helped make Martin Luther King Jr. into an international symbol of peace and nonviolence.
Ok, Bayard. We know the deal.
You were not just a pacifist but
Dr. King's number one man during
The Montgomery bus boycott and the March on Washington.
And we know the rest: that
The same "leaders" of the people you got to the march
Turned their backs on you because you were openly gay.
Yes, you were principled.
But what a price to pay.
Have you heard of Bayard Rustin?
_________________________
Books & Articles about Bayard Rustin
Anderson, Jervis. Bayard Rustin: Troubles I’ve Seen. New York: Harper Collins Publishers, 1997.
Collins, Elliott. Bayard Rustin: A Civil Rights Biography. Ph.d dissertation, Program in American Studies, New York University, 2000.
D’Emilio, John. “Lost Prophet.” New York: The Free Press, 2003.
D’Emilio, John. “Homophobia and the Trajectory of Postwar American Radicalism: the Case of Bayard Rustin.” Radical History Review (1995) 62: 80-103.
D’Emilio, John. “Bayard Rustin, Civil Rights Strategist.” The Harvard Gay & Lesbian Review, Summer 1999.
Haskins, James. Bayard Rustin: Behind the Scenes of the Civil Rights Movement. New York: Hyperion Books for Children, 1997.
Levine, Daniel. Bayard Rustin and the Civil Rights Movement. New Brunswick, New Jersey: Rutgers University Press, 2000.
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16 comments:
I have heard of Mr. Rustin.
He was an interesting and largely ignored figure in civil rights history.
Got to be honest,MacDaddy.I'd heard the name before but didn't recall who he was. My ignorance.
Big Man: He was the premier organizer of the Montgomery bus boycott, which was a success. Dr. King was only 27 year old minister just out of divinity school with his first church. He didn't know anything about organizing. More than any of the others, Rustin made it work. But the homophobic ministers of Dr. King's organization tried to hide his true contributions. Many of them are the same way today.
Oso: A lot of people don't know about him because he was openly gay and not ashamed of it and some ministers close to Dr. King didn't like it. So his contributions were intentionally downplayed.
I included him in the book, because I wanted people know of his great contributions. But the remarks was a kind of tease, a way to excite people to study people like Rustin themselves. Blessings
MacDaddy,
this is a cliche but also very true.The more I learn, the more I realize that I don't know much at all.
Nice work as usual.
I sure the hell have heard of him,and I am glad that you wrote this post about him, too!
L
I know who Mr. Rustin was and I also know the backstory of why he was ignored. Perhaps in this era of our story he can take his rightful place.
MacD, That's the first time i have ever heard of Mr. Rustin. Damn. . . I thought I was so informed!
He was a major organizing leader as well as a speaker on the March on Washington. I remember an interview on the steps of Lincoln Memorial before the ceremonies began. Rustin was originally speaking to two or three reporters with their pads and pencil; before long there was a throng listening to him; and he cut if off, he was saluted with enthusiastic applause. Later on, he gave a warm-up speech to get the crowd all fired-up and ready to go for Dr. King. He was a mesmerizing speaker. Absolutely. I followed him for years afterwords as a member of the War Resister's League, and his articles in Liberation Magazine. A great American Radical.
I am the Daddy has included him in his book. This weekend I will quit procrastinating and get down to ordering it!
"glad"
Vigilante: Thanks for the background information.
Hi, MacDaddy,
I have been out in the woods with all maner of God's creatures for my annual retreat....thought of you and prayed for you.....Great to see the excerpt from your book...I want to say AGAIN and AGAIN, you all out there: GET MAC'S BOOK! A must for your library with a synopsis of some great African American heroes and heroines!
Marieanne: Welcome and thanks for coming a follower of daddyBstrong. Feel free to come back and check out the posts and comment. Thanks again.
Yes! I know about Brother Bayard Rustin!
Thank YOU, Mr. Rustin for being a proud, fearless and shining example of dignity, calm and manhood in the face of racism, homophobia and other oppression.
Thank You, MackDADDY, for always shining the SPOTLIGHT ON COURAGE ! ! ! Thank You for teasing those of us who may be further interested with the books and articles list ! ! Please allow me to add to that the excellent and riveting POV film documentary, Brother Outsider: The Life Of Bayard Rustin. Unfortunately, I don't think it's available for purchase, but it still airs frequently on the PBS (and Logo) stations. Click (or cut and paste) this link for more info: http://rustin.org/
BRAVO!
Thanks, Corey! A magnificent link to a magnificent site which is a modest tribute to a great American!
Corey: Yes, I've seen Brother Outsider. It's an excellent documentary. But I simply forgot to include it. Thanks for reminding me.
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