… Bayard Rustin (1912-1987)

The Art of Creative Trouble Making

Bayard Rustin was born in West Chester Pennsylvania on March 17, 1912. He was raised by his grandmother in a Quaker community. In school, he excelled in both academics and sports. It was on a trip to an out of town football game that Rustin first experienced racism when he was refused service in a restaurant.

Rustin's education continued at Wilberforce University, Cheney State, and City College in New York. His involvement with the Young Communist League from 1936 to 1941 would be used against him many times. But Rustin was never one to waiver in his beliefs when faced with adversity.

Throughout his life, Rustin maintained a low profile in his activism. His creativity and attention to detail made him an essential, yet unseen, force in the societal changes of the mid twentieth century. He once described his methodology as "social dislocation and creative trouble".

Bayard Rustin was also a "known homosexual".

Bayard Rustin the Organizer

In the early 1940's, Rustin organized local nonviolent direct-action groups which later formed a national organization known as the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE). He opposed the violence and bigotry of segregated American institutions with the nonviolent direct action methods of Gandhi.

Rustin organized the "Journey of Reconciliation" in 1947. This "Journey" was taken by an integrated group of people who defied local ordinances banning them on public transit in the South. Rustin was sentenced to a chain gang in North Carolina for his participation. The "Journey of Reconciliation" was the model for the Freedom Rides of the 1960's.

Rustin was involved in the civil rights movement throughout the 1950's. He worked closely with Martin Luther King, Jr . and A. Phillip Randolph in laying the foundations for the movement. Rustin was an instrumental advisor to King in organizing the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) in 1956.

Rustin was the chief organizer and logistics person for the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. The 200,000 people who took part in the March have Rustin to thank for the orderly progress on that historic day's events. His passion for detail was of great value to the success of the event. It was at Rustin's urging that Randolph called for the march which culminated in the historic "I Have a Dream" speech by Dr. King. Randolph referred to Rustin as "Mr. March".

Bayard Rustin the Activist

Rustin actively participated in the Free India movement and anti-nuclear demonstrations around the world. He was also active in the Fellowship of Reconciliation, and the War Resister's League, as well as the aforementioned CORE and SCLC. He protested the interment of Japanese Americans during WWII and later served 28 months in jail as a conscientious objector.

In 1964 Rustin organized a school boycott in New York City to protest the slow pace of integration. Over 400,000 stayed out of school that day. He also organized civil rights demonstrations at the Democratic and Republican National Conventions.

In 1964, Rustin became executive director of the A. Phillip Randolph Institute - an educational civil rights & labor organization. He continued to serve in leadership positions with the Institute for the rest of his life.

Foes of Bayard Rustin

Strom Thurmond took to the floor of the United States Senate in July of 1963, and denounced the upcoming March on Washington by calling attention to Bayard Rustin's homosexuality. Thurmond's plan to ruin the event failed miserably when Martin Luther King, Jr. stood in defense of Rustin . At the same time, Jesse Helms was launching similar attacks from his home state of North Carolina.

The Bayard Rustin Legacy

Throughout his life, Bayard Rustin pursued causes that he felt strongly about. Whether in Poland, Israel, South Africa or at home in America he was always prepared to take a stand. He would sometimes get booed by colleagues when he spoke his mind. His strong will led some to say that he was unable to change with the times. He was jailed over 20 times on matters of conscience.

However, his detractors and followers join in their agreement that there is no one else who could have accomplished the enormous logistical tasks of mass political movements along with the delicate diplomacy of coalition building.

Bayard Rustin died of cardiac arrest on August 24, 1987 in New York City.

Learn more about Bayard Rustin

Return to the Maximum Files.
Return to the Home of Tom and T.J.