Research Guides: Bayard Rustin: Biography

Bayard Rustin (March 17, 1912 - August 24, 1987)

Rustin joined the staff of the Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR), a Christian pacifist organization in 1941; he worked there until 1953, when he moved to the War Resisters League. One of only a few African Americans who were prominent in the U.S. peace movement, Rustin traveled throughout the United States many times over, preaching a message of nonviolence. As a result of his activities as a war resister, he spent twenty-seven months in federal prison during World War II. During the Cold War, Rustin opposed a peacetime draft. In the 1950s he organized demonstrations against civilian defense drills and aboveground nuclear testing and planned militant pacifist actions in the Nevada desert, the South Pacific, and the Sahara. Continue . . .

Source: D'Emilio, John. "Rustin, Bayard." Encyclopedia of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender History in America, edited by Marc Stein, vol. 3, Charles Scribner's Sons, 2004, pp. 54-55. From Gale Virtual Reference database.

eBooks Collection

Bayard Rustin and the Civil Rights Movement

Oppression As Process : The Case of Bayard Rustin

Resources

Making Gay History: Bayard Rustin Making History podcast.
The Civil Rights Identity of Bayard Rustin Examines the life of civil rights activist and humanitarian Bayard Rustin. Experiences during his childhood which made him think of joining the civil rights movement; Details of his leadership achievements in the movement; Information on his humanitarian efforts.
The 'Invisible Man' Discusses the role of Bayard Rustin in the African American civil rights movement in the United States. His relationship with Martin Luther King Jr; How Rustin initiated one of the first Freedom Rides through the South to protest and confront legal segregation; Involvement of Rustin in the 1963 March on Washington; His struggle as a homosexual.
Remembering Bayard Rustin Discusses the contributions of Bayard Rustin to the civil rights movement and suggests that three perceived liabilities have made it difficult to incorporate him into the popular historical narrative of the civil rights movement: his connections to the Communist Party, his pacifism, and his homosexuality.
Behind the Scenes Bayard Rustin The article discusses the actions of civil rights activist Bayard Rustin, particularly commenting on his contributions to the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, his work with the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), and his position as an advisor to civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. INSET: RUSTIN'S THINGS TO DO.
Brother Outsider: The Life of Bayard Rustin (Film) Reviewed: Brother Outsider: The Life of Bayard Rustin. Kates, Nancy and Singer, Bennett, prod.
Brother Outsider the Life of Bayard Rustin Bayard Rustin was one of the first "Freedom Riders," an advisor to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and A. Philip Randolph, organizer of the 1963 March on Washington, intelligent, gregarious and charismatic, Rustin was denied his place in the limelight for one reason - he was gay. His story is told in the documentary "Brother Outsider."
Interview with Bayard Rustin Filmed interview with Bayard Rustin conducted in 1979 for America, They Loved You Madly, a precursor to Eyes on the Prize. Discussion centers on the Brown decision, the reasons for increased civil rights activism after World War II, and his work to organize the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.

From Films On Demand Database:

Brother Outsider: The Life of Bayard Rustin On November 20, 2013, Bayard Rustin was posthumously awarded the prestigious Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama. Rustin was at most of the important events of the Civil Rights Movement—but always in the background. This film asks "Why?" It presents a vivid drama, intermingling the personal and the political, about one of the most enigmatic figures in 20th-century American history. One of the first “freedom riders,” an adviser to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and A. Philip Randolph, organizer of the march on Washington, intelligent, gregarious, and charismatic, Bayard Rustin was denied his place in the limelight for one reason—he was gay.
Bayard Rustin's Demands Moyers recalls the list of demands outlined by Bayard Rustin to be included in civil rights legislation: an end to segregation, voting rights, fair employment practices, decent housing.