Musings from Main- Bayard Rustin (1912–1987)

Wood Memorial Library and Museum will be closed on Monday, January 15, 2024, in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.  Explore our February 18, 2022 Musings from Main to learn about the two summers Martin Luther King Jr. spent in Connecticut.  This week's Musing focuses on his associate and civil rights ally, Bayard Rustin.

Bayard Rustin His Early Years

Bayard Rustin is a relatively unknown civil rights activist dedicated to nonviolence and pacifism. Born on March 17, 1912, in West Chester, Pennsylvania, Rustin was raised as a Quaker by his grandparents.  His grandmother was involved in the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and Rustin grew up accustomed to black community leaders being around the household.

A Lifelong Pacifist

Consistent with the Quaker's tradition of pacifism, Rustin spent his life promoting and practicing non-violence.  It was during his twenties, according a Yale Online exhibit, Pacifism and the American Civil Rights Movement: A Celebration of the Centennial of Bayard Rustin (1912-2012), that Rustin further reinforced his understanding of Quakerism by traveling throughout New York State as volunteer, teaching pacifism for the American Friends Service Committee.

Later in 1941, following what would become his lifelong path of pacifism, Rustin took a full-time job with the Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR), an interfaith international anti-war organization.  It was during his time with FOR that he wrote an “Interracial Primer: How You Can Help Relieve Tensions Between Blacks and Whites". 

Twice Rustin was imprisoned for his beliefs. Once was in 1944, when as a conscientious objector, he refused to join the U.S. Army, and again in 1947, as an organizer and participant of the Journey of Reconciliation.  A forerunner to the 1961 Freedom Rides, the Journey of Reconciliation was designed as a test of the Supreme Court rulings barring segregation in interstate travel.

As a result of his arrest for participating in the Journey of Reconciliation, Rustin spend 22 days on a North Carolina chain gang. After his release Rustin wrote "A Report on Twenty-Two Days on the Chain Gang at Roxboro North Carolina" The report was published in several newspapers and as a result in the state of North Carolina reformed its practice of prison chain gangs. (Pacifism and the American Civil Rights Movement: A Celebration of the Centennial of Bayard Rustin (1912-2012)

March on Washington

The most well known civil rights event that Rustin organized was the 1963 March on Washington where Dr. King gave his "I Have a Dream" speech.

More formally referred to as the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, Rustin was appointed deputy director of the march, over the concerns of many civil rights leaders. In less than two months, Rustin would go on to organize an event of unprecedented success bringing over 200,000 participants to Washington D.C.

Later Life

Why did other civil rights leaders object to Rustin being appointed deputy director of the March on Washington?  Probably for the same reason that not many people have heard of Rustin despite his impressive resume of contributions to the civil rights movement.  Bayard Rustin was an unapologetically open gay man.

According to the National Museum of African American History & Culture's (NMAAHC) website, "Early in his career, he was arrested for 'moral cause' which led to his outing to the public. However, once outed, Rustin was completely open about his sexuality and was never ashamed. Criticism and discrimination over his sexuality led Rustin to have a more background role in the Civil Rights Movement. He never wanted his sexuality to have a negative effect on the Movement, which is often the reason that Rustin’s efforts are not widely known."

Later in the 1970s and 1980s Rustin used his considerable talents to further the causes of human rights and the gay rights movement, serving on several humanitarian missions and becoming an advocate for AIDS education.  Rustin also testified on behalf of New York State's Gay Rights Bill. In his1986 testimony in support of the bill, the NMAAHC's website quotes Rustin as saying “gay people are the new barometer for social change.”

"One has to fight for justice for all. If I do not fight bigotry wherever it is, bigotry is thereby strengthened. And to the degree that it is strengthened, it will thereby have the power to turn on me." - Bayard Rustin.

Bayard Rustin felt that injustice against anyone, anywhere should not be tolerated. He died of a perforated appendix on August 26, 1987 at the age of 75.

Sources use for this Musings From Main:

Bayard Rustin CNN website.

Bayard Rustin (1912–1987) National Museum of African American History & Culture Smithsonian website.

Gates, Jr, Henry Louis, Who Designed the March on Washington?, PBS website

Pacifism and the American Civil Rights Movement: A Celebration of the Centennial of Bayard Rustin (1912-2012) Yale website.

Rustin, Bayard, The Martin Luther King Jr. Research and Education Institute, Stanford University website.