Bayard Rustin: A modest leader with a rich legacy

History is not complete without the mention of Bayard Rustin. Although little is known about Rustin, one fact holds true, he is truly a cornerstone of African- American history and human rights. During a span of thirty years, Rustin was at the forefront of the Civil Rights Movement, and organized countless rallies. By using passive resistance, he encompassed change one battle at a time.

Rustin as a child

Rustin was born in 1912, to Florence Rustin and Archie Hopkins. The fact that Rustin was born out of wedlock, did not sit well with Florence, and is probably the reason he was raised by his Julia and Janifer Rustin, his grandparents. Janifer being a member of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, helped shape Rustin’s world, with constant influence by Julia’s Quaker teachings. Though, Rustin’s grandparents were of different faiths, the peaceful teachings of the Quaker’s helped mold his persona as a civil rights leader.

After attending Wilberforce and Cheyney State Teacher’s College, Rustin moved to New York in 1937. Though attending the City College of New York, Rustin’s need for racial equality led him to join the Young Communists League. He originally joined the league because they had favorable ideas on racial equality, but during the war the league dramatically changed their racial views on segregation, causing Rustin to leave.

He then sought out A. Philip Randolph, head of the Sleeping Car Porters, and one of the predominant leaders of civil rights at the time. A. Philip Randolph’s main focus was to end the racial discrimination of worker’s in defense industries. Rustin had formed a youth organization and planned to put a rally in motion, until Randolph called it off abruptly. Randolph had been pacified by Eisenhower’s Executive Order 8802, which granted equal rights to all workers, and consequently caused tension between the two.

Too free to be incarcerated

During the next couple years, World War I ensued, and men who did not want to serve were arrested and given harsh sentences. Although, Rustin was part of a peace church and was allowed to do alternative services rather than serve, his higher self could not stop him from fighting for the less fortunate. In 1944, Rustin was sentenced to three years for violating the Selective Services Act and was sent to Kentucky to serve his sentence. When Rustin was in jail he still fought against the shabby conditions of the segregated prison system, although he caught hell, from the prisoners and guards alike, he kept fighting peacefully.

After being released in 1947, Rustin joined the Fellowship of Reconciliation to test the Supreme Court’s abolition of discrimination in interstate transportation. As a result, Rustin served a twenty -eight day sentence on the chain gang. It’s amazing that this took place before the Rosa Parks incident. After Rustin was released he went to India and Africa, to study the magnitude of independent global movements and to bask in the realm of Gandhi-ish ideas. In 1953, he became known for his candidacy of being a homosexual. At the time, it was illegal to be gay but Rustin didn’t hide his sexual proclivity. Bearing this in mind, Rustin was arrested for public indecency, therefore becoming one of the first advocates of gay rights.

Rustin and the March on Washington

During this time period, Bayard had been sought out by Martin Luther King Jr., who was in admiration of his nonviolent methods. King asked that Rustin be instrumental in the bus boycott in Montgomery, Alabama. These events led to Rustin being one of the main organizers in the March on Washington, where he received a response of enormous magnitude. Rustin was also a prominent figure in the SCLC (Southern Christian Leadership Conference) and was the driving force behind the fight to desegregate schools by staging sit-ins and rallies. This is probably one of Bayard’s most important feats ever; because of his pledge, Blacks were given the rights to go to school anywhere .Although it was an uphill battle and life-threatening, Rustin continuously sacrificed everything personal to himself.

Bayard versus The Black Power Movement
After integration, Rustin’s views on affirmative action and Black studies in college universities were frowned upon by the militant, Black Panther Party. The dynamics of the civil rights movement had been changed and radical minority groups came to the forefront of American society. Even though, the Black militants were in disagreement, Rustin’s ideas held water in society because Blacks were given both affirmative action and Black studies in universities, eventually. Rustin realized that times were different now, therefore he began a new platform by engaging in the unity of all minorities. He would pursue religious groups, liberals and trade unions but would fail because of the Vietnam’s demand on the ecology and economy of the people. Accepting defeat, Rustin then focused his attention abroad to world issues.

In conclusion, Rustin’s accomplishments are felt by me personally. My mother worked for a company named RTP ( The Recruitment and Training Program), which was began to give Blacks jobs in the early 1970s and 1980s. Although I have never met him, he still played an instrumental role in the financial growth of my family. Thank you, Mr. Rustin!