Erased from History

A leader of the civil rights movement, Bayard Rustin organized the march on Washington, changing America forever. Why did he disappear from the history books?

“He believed in the cause so much he would sacrifice and suffer for it. Compassion is contagious, and when Rustin transferred his ideas, people caught on and started to believe. This skill helped him become a great leader for many African Americans in his community.”

The sun was beating down on a hot August day. Bayard Rustin stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. They organized what they hoped would be the largest peaceful protest in American history in under 3 months. Now he waited for the people to come. Soon, nearly 300,000 people of all races gathered together. When Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. steps onto the podium, Rustin sees whites, blacks, Asians, and Latinos together.  After Dr. King delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech, it was Rustin’s turn, but who remembers what Rustin had to say that day? Who remembers that he taught the doctrine of non-violence to Dr. King? Who remembers the man who stepped into the shadows, who sacrificed his fame so the civil rights movement could prosper?

Bayard Rustin wasn’t a typical man, but instead a leader who was known for his authenticity and took risks for the things he believed in. He called himself an “angelic troublemaker” and could get people from all different backgrounds together. On March 17th, 1912 he was born to a Quaker household. Rustin excelled in academics, music, and sports. He attended integrated West Chester Senior High School and was elected class valedictorian his senior year. On a high school road trip, he insisted that black players be put up in the same hotel as white players, and at least once he sat in the "whites only" section of the local movie theater, for which he was arrested. This shows he was going to risk getting arrested to get his point across.

In 1932, Rustin attended Wilberforce College, a historically black college in Ohio. Rustin was active in a number of campus organizations, including the African American Fraternity. He was expelled from Wilberforce in 1936 after organizing a strike and later attended Cheyney State Teachers College. While studying there he joined the Young Communist League because at the time the fight for civil rights was one of their top priorities. Bayard felt that the communists could get African Americans' rights faster. A year later he left for Harlem, New York where he became involved in efforts to defend and free nine young black men in Alabama who were accused of raping two white women. His efforts ultimately helped save the men from execution, but they still had to face many years in jail.

A couple of years later he abruptly left the Communist League because the anti-war policy changed during WW2. Bayard never believed in fighting and was a pacifist. Later, he went to India to learn Mahatma Gandhi's ways of non-violent protesting. 

Mahatma Gandhi was a very famous leader of the Indian revolution. He is known for his nonviolent protests that helped the Indians gain independence. Bayard thought that if these protests could acquire India's freedom, why couldn’t they work for African Americans? This led to his “Pilgrimage” to India. He stayed there for seven weeks before returning to the U.S. with new inspiration and tools to achieve freedom. Quickly after returning, he was drafted into the army but refused to go because of his pacifist beliefs. After resisting his draft call he was immediately jailed. Even when the majority of people supported WW2, Rustin kept to his morals. During his stay in jail, he composed a letter to the warden about discrimination in prison. In it he wrote, “There are four ways in which one can deal with injustice: 

(a) One can accept it without protest.

(b) One can seek to avoid it.

(c) One can resist injustice nonviolently.

(d) One can resist violence.”

He kept protesting, organizing, and advocating for equality. Simply put, he always fought for what he thought was right. Not what the warden or the other inmates thought, but what he thought. This is what made his opinions so powerful. He believed in the cause so much he would sacrifice and suffer for it. Compassion is contagious, and when Rustin transferred his ideas, people caught on and started to believe. This skill helped him become a great leader for many African Americans in his community.

Along with continuing his previous work he wrote books, and joined many Christian Civil Rights organizations as a devout Christian, despite his homosexuality. Through the church, he met Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and E. Philip Randolph, who became his mentor. They quickly became friends and Dr. King was surprised by Rustin's expansive knowledge of Non-Violence. He served as his key advisor organizing many of his protests. Dr. King later brought up the idea of a protest in Washington. Rustin then responded by telling him that in 3 months he could organize the largest civil rights protest in American History.  So, he got to work. 

In a small office building in Harlem, he and his trusted team organized the march on Washington for jobs and freedom. They had limited time, and they worried no one would come. Bayard was skeptical too, but deep down he knew they would come. He was the type of guy who thought of everything. Transportation, backup plans, organization, and equipment were all handled by Rustin. Then on a hot summer day, he waited for the crowd. The mass of people represented all races and genders. He looked at the crowd of over 200,000 people. He took in a deep breath and spoke the words he had to say. He spoke about the movement's demands, such as a minimum wage increase and equal rights for all. Now, as one of the most beloved and known leaders of the movement, he was leading his people to freedom. So what was it that separated Rustin apart as a great leader? 

In one word: authenticity. He isn't afraid to be who he is. He doesn't change himself in front of people to make them like him. He tries to find ways to connect himself with other people using his experiences. At the core of his nature he is someone who hates violence, so he incorporated this part of him into the movement. He also wasn’t afraid to be judged for being homosexual. Later he would go on to become one of the biggest faces of the LGBTQ+ movement. He played a vital role in the AIDS crisis in the 1980s. He did anything to achieve his goal because he believed “that if the cause is just and people are organized, nothing can stand in his way” (Obama). He sacrificed his time, energy, resources, and job. He wasn’t afraid to take risks and take the leading position. He knew his strengths and contributed to what he does best. Being a leader doesn't always mean being famous like King or Gandhi but sacrificing, contributing, and believing. People may not know who Rustin is, but without him, the march on Washington would not have happened and ultimately the Civil Rights Act may have been delayed or not have been passed. 

Later the leaders of the civil rights movement told him that he would have to step down, to go into the shadows, because he was gay. Bayard did, but he didn't stop protesting and fighting for equality. Later, after many people pushed him to join the growing LGBTQ+ movement in the 1980s, he joined. He started to teach the basics of  “Rainbow Politics.” He made strategies to get gay people in power. He also linked tolerance and acceptance for gay people with racial and economic justice.

Bayard Rustin was a leader who dedicated his life to fighting for civil rights and equality. Despite facing adversity, Rustin remained committed to his principles of non-violence and justice. Wherever Rustin went, he advocated and organized. Rustin's authenticity, courage, and belief in the power of nonviolent protest made him an effective strategist in the fight for equality. Hopefully, Rustin’s story will not be forgotten, but instead will remind us that true leadership is not about capitalizing on one’s fame but about making a lasting impact through dedication and integrity.

Works Cited

“Bayard Rustin”. The Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute. https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/rustin-ba.

“Bayard Rustin”. National Park Service, https://www.nps.gov/subjects/civilrights/bayard-rustin.htm.

"Bayard Rustin". Encyclopedia Britannica, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Bayard-Rustin.

Gates, Jr., Henry Louis. “Who Designed the March on Washington?” PBS, https://www.pbs.org/wnet/african-americans-many-rivers-to-cross/history/100-amazing-facts/who-designed-the-march-on-washington/.

Greer, Cristiana “An unsung hero of the civil rights movement”. Ted-ed, 2020, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJcUnXTaCgU&t=57s.

Houtman, Jacqueline, et al. Troublemaker for Justice: The Story of Bayard Rustin, the Man Behind the March on Washington. City Lights Publishers, August 6, 2019.

"Wash U’s History VaultBayard Rustin's 1978 Interview | WashU." YouTube, Washington University in St. Louis, 2024, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rqW1ac9b8w.

“The Gay Civil Rights Activist Nearly Erased From History”. Youtube, Great Big Story, 2024, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rD-ItELhG88&t=26s .