Black History: Bayard Rustin

"When an individual is protesting society's refusal to acknowledge his dignity as a human being, his very act of protest confers dignity on him."
- Bayard Rustin

Bayard Rustin played an important role in the battle for civil rights in America, serving as a key strategist and organizer during the civil rights movement. While he worked mainly behind the scenes to bring about societal change, his contributions were enormous and he deserves recognition as one of the important figures of the time.

Rustin is best remembered for his role as the organizer of the famous 1963 March on Washington, the political rally where Martin Luther King, Jr. gave the "I Have a Dream" speech. The rally is widely viewed as a wake-up call to the nation, helping turn the tide toward passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

But his efforts didn't begin with the March on Washington. In 1942, Rustin worked with two members of the Fellowship of Reconciliation -- the "largest, oldest interfaith peace and justice organization in the United States" -- and became the first field secretary of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE). Working with CORE, he championed a policy of non-violence.

He continued his organizing, planning the first "Freedom Ride," where people rode in interstate buses in order to challenge the segregation in the South. Rustin was arrested, as were many participants, because of Jim Crow laws.

After serving briefly with the War Resisters League, Rustin began advising Martin Luther King, Jr. on organizing the legendary Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), due to his experience in non-violent action. The SCLC played an important role in the civil rights movement with the Albany Movement and the March on Washington.

Beyond the role Rustin played in winning civil rights for African Americans, he is widely recognized for his courage in fighting against discrimination based on sexual orientation, a bias he experienced firsthand as a gay man. In fact, public awareness of his sexual orientation led to his arrest while speaking to the American Association of University Women. In his later years, Rustin testified in support of gay rights legislation in New York State.

Rustin also made significant contributions in the international arena, working as Chairman of the Executive Committee for Freedom House, an independent non-partisan, non-governmental organization that works to promote democracy and freedom and oppose dictatorships around the world. While with Freedom House, Rustin served as a human rights and election monitor.

Bayard Rustin laid the foundation for the civil rights movement by working behind the scenes to create a better America for all of us. His leadership makes him one of the most important catalysts for change in American history. This "lost prophet" of the civil rights movement, as named by Historian John DEmilio, deserves special recognition as a hero of equality. His personal example of courage and his commitment to a society in which all persons would be judged on the content of their character-and not on skin color, gender, or sexual orientation-is one of the greatest legacies of this heroic American and remains a goal to which we should all, as a nation, aspire.

For more biographies in celebration of black history month, click here.