Bayard Rustin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Bayard Rustin
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Rustin at a news briefing on the March on Washington in Washington, D.C., on August 27, 1963
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| Born | March 17, 1912 |
| Died | August 24, 1987 (aged 75) New York City, U.S.
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| Education | Wilberforce University Cheyney University City College of New York |
| Organization | Fellowship of Reconciliation Congress of Racial Equality War Resisters League Southern Christian Leadership Conference Social Democrats, USA (National Chairman) A. Philip Randolph Institute (President) Committee on the Present Danger |
| Movement | Civil Rights Movement, Peace Movement, Socialism, Gay Rights Movement, Neoconservatism |
| Partner(s) | Davis Platt (1940s) Walter Naegle (1977–1987; Rustin's death) |
| Awards | Presidential Medal of Freedom |
Bayard Rustin (March 17, 1912 – August 24, 1987) was an important African American leader. He worked hard for civil rights, peace, and equality for all people. He believed in using nonviolence to bring about change.
Rustin worked with A. Philip Randolph on the March on Washington Movement in 1941. This movement pushed for an end to racial discrimination in jobs. Later, Rustin helped organize the Freedom Rides. He also helped create the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) to support Martin Luther King Jr.'s leadership. Rustin taught King about nonviolent methods. He was a key organizer for the famous March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963.
Rustin also worked with Ella Baker and others to form a group called "In Friendship." This group helped people who were being unfairly forced off their farms. He later led the A. Philip Randolph Institute, which worked to bring people of all races together in unions. In his later years, Rustin went on many missions to help people in need, including refugees from Vietnam and Cambodia. He was on a humanitarian mission in Haiti when he passed away in 1987. In 2013, President Barack Obama honored Rustin by giving him the Presidential Medal of Freedom after his death.
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Early Life and Learning
Rustin was born in 1912 in West Chester, Pennsylvania. He was raised by his grandparents, Julia and Janifer Rustin. His grandmother, Julia, was a Quaker and a member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Important NAACP leaders often visited their home. Growing up, Rustin learned about fighting against unfair Jim Crow laws, which kept Black and white people separate.
In 1932, Rustin went to Wilberforce University, a college for Black students in Ohio. He was very active on campus. He later attended Cheyney State Teachers College (now Cheyney University of Pennsylvania). Cheyney University later gave him an honorary degree.
After college, Rustin moved to Harlem in 1937 and studied at City College of New York. He became involved in helping people who were treated unfairly. He also joined the Quakers, a religious group that believes in peace.
Rustin was a talented singer. He earned music scholarships to college and performed in a Broadway musical. He also sang with a gospel group and performed at a famous nightclub. He even recorded several albums of spiritual songs.
Working for Change
Rustin became a strong supporter of nonviolence. He worked with A. Philip Randolph, a leader of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, and A. J. Muste, a pacifist leader.
In 1941, Rustin, Randolph, and Muste planned a march in Washington, D.C.. They wanted to protest unfair treatment in the military and in jobs. President Roosevelt met with Randolph, who firmly told him that Black Americans would march unless changes were made. Roosevelt then issued an order that stopped discrimination in defense jobs. The march was called off, but the military was not fully desegregated until 1948.
Rustin also helped Japanese-Americans who were unfairly put in internment camps during World War II. He was very good at organizing, so A.J. Muste made him a secretary for student affairs.
Rustin was a pioneer in ending segregation on buses. In 1942, he refused to move to the back of a bus in Kentucky, which was against Jim Crow laws. He was arrested but later released.
In 1942, Rustin helped create the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE). CORE was a pacifist group inspired by Mahatma Gandhi's ideas of non-violent resistance in India. Rustin and other pacifists were sent to prison for refusing to join the military during World War II. In prison, he organized protests against segregated facilities.
Leading the Civil Rights Movement
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In 1947, Rustin and George Houser organized the Journey of Reconciliation. This was an early "Freedom Ride" to challenge laws that separated people on buses traveling between states. Rustin and others were arrested and even served time on a chain gang in North Carolina for sitting together on a bus. In 2022, these old charges were officially dismissed.
In 1948, Rustin traveled to India to learn more about Gandhi's nonviolent methods. He also met with leaders fighting for independence in Ghana and Nigeria. He later formed a committee to support resistance in South Africa.
Rustin advised Martin Luther King Jr. during the Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1956. Rustin helped King understand and use nonviolent tactics. He even convinced King to stop having armed guards for his home.
Rustin and King then started the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). Some leaders worried that Rustin's background might hurt the movement. A politician tried to spread false rumors about Rustin and King, which led King to cancel a planned march. Rustin left his position at SCLC, but he continued his work for civil rights.
Organizing the March on Washington
Rustin was a key organizer of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in August 1963. This huge march celebrated 100 years since the Emancipation Proclamation. Rustin worked tirelessly to plan every detail, from training marshals to scheduling speakers.
Because of some concerns, A. Philip Randolph was the official director, and Rustin was his deputy. Despite this, Rustin became well-known. A photograph of him and Randolph appeared on the cover of Life magazine, calling them "the leaders" of the March.
New York City School Boycott
In 1964, Rustin helped organize a large boycott of public schools in New York City. This protest was against schools being separated by race. More than 400,000 people participated in the one-day boycott, making it the largest civil rights protest in American history at the time. Rustin said that integrating schools would help both teachers and students.
From Protest to Politics
After the Civil Rights Act of 1964 passed, Rustin believed the civil rights movement needed to work more closely with the Democratic Party. He thought that Black Americans should join with white working-class people and unions to achieve economic goals.
In an important article called "From Protest to Politics," Rustin wrote that new technology would reduce jobs for low-skilled workers. He believed this would harm urban Black communities. He argued that people of all races needed to work together for better economic opportunities. Rustin felt it was time to move from just protesting to actively working within the political system.
He also warned against "Black power" movements, believing they would separate Black people from the white allies they needed. Rustin remained a lifelong socialist, believing in social justice and economic equality for everyone. He pushed for things like universal healthcare and ending poverty.
Working with Unions
Rustin worked to strengthen the labor movement, seeing it as a way to empower Black Americans and achieve economic fairness for all. He became the director of the A. Philip Randolph Institute, which focused on civil rights and economic justice within unions. He also wrote regularly for the AFL-CIO newspaper.
Rustin became a leader in the American movement for social democracy. He served as a national chairman of Social Democrats, USA (SDUSA), which worked to fight against unfair government policies.
Views on Foreign Policy
Rustin supported the U.S. policy of stopping the spread of communism. He believed in helping independent labor unions and political groups in other countries. He also worked as a human rights and election monitor for Freedom House.
Rustin was a strong supporter of Israel. He believed that Israel's democratic values showed that justice could win, even in difficult situations. He also worked to help Jews in the Soviet Union who faced discrimination and were not allowed to leave their country. He saw their struggle as similar to the challenges faced by Black people in America. He helped gather testimonies from Soviet Jews and pushed for their freedom to emigrate.
Later Life and Legacy
Bayard Rustin passed away on August 24, 1987. He was a Quaker who believed in nonviolence, using legal methods, democratic processes, respecting all people, and that everyone is connected. He was survived by his partner, Walter Naegle.
President Ronald Reagan praised Rustin after his death, highlighting his work for civil rights and human rights around the world.
Rustin's important contributions were sometimes overlooked because he often worked behind the scenes. However, a 2003 documentary film called Brother Outsider: The Life of Bayard Rustin and the 100th anniversary of his birth in 2012 helped bring renewed attention to his work.
Several places have been named in his honor, including schools like Bayard Rustin Educational Complex in New York City and West Chester Rustin High School in his hometown. There are also social justice centers and libraries named after him.
Honors and Recognition
In 1995, a historical marker was placed in West Chester, Pennsylvania, where he attended high school. In 2002, his hometown school district voted to name a new high school after him, which opened in 2006.
In 2012, Rustin was honored on the Legacy Walk, a public display celebrating LGBTQ history. In 2013, he was inducted into the Labor Hall of Honor by the United States Department of Labor.
On August 8, 2013, President Barack Obama gave Rustin the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest award a civilian can receive in the U.S. Rustin's partner, Walter Naegle, accepted the award at a White House ceremony.
In 2014, Rustin was honored on the Rainbow Honor Walk in San Francisco, which recognizes LGBTQ people who have made important contributions. In 2018, an elementary school in Maryland was named after him.
A play called The Seat Next to the King was written about an imaginary meeting involving Rustin. Another play, Bayard Rustin Inside Ashland, tells the story of his time in prison during World War II.
In 2019, Rustin was one of the first fifty "pioneers, trailblazers, and heroes" added to the National LGBTQ Wall of Honor at the Stonewall National Monument in New York City. This monument is dedicated to LGBTQ rights and history.
The Bayard Rustin Center for Social Justice was created in Princeton, New Jersey, in 2018. It serves as a community center and safe space for LGBTQ youth and families.
In 2021, a movie about Rustin's life, called Rustin, was announced. In 2022, a street in Nyack, New York, was renamed "Bayard Rustin Way" to honor him.
Images for kids
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Rustin, 1965
See also
