Meet Bayard Rustin, the Gay Civil Rights Activist Who Advised King by History.Com, Adapted by Newsela Staff on 02.01.19 Word Count 920 Level 830L

Meet Bayard Rustin, the gay civil rights activist who advised King By History.com, adapted by Newsela staff on 02.01.19 Word Count 920 Level 830L

Image 1. Bayard Rustin (center) speaks with civil rights activists before a demonstration in 1964. Photo by: Ed Ford/New York World- Telegram and the Sun Newspaper Photograph Collection, U.S. Library of Congress

On August 28, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous speech, "I Have a Dream." More than 200,000 people heard him. Behind the scenes, though, was a man named Bayard Rustin.

Rustin's life was shaped by the very prejudices and discrimination the civil rights movement fought against. Not only was Rustin black, but he was also gay, meaning he was attracted to men. Rustin would spend his life fighting for the rights of others, even while facing discrimination of his own.

Organized March On Washington

Many people saw Rustin and the civil rights movement as one and the same. He organized the March on Washington, where King would deliver "I Have a Dream." "Rustin [organized] this march in an eight-week period, without cell phones, without email, without faxes," says Michael G. Long. He is the editor of "I Must Resist: Bayard Rustin's Life in Letters" and co-author of "Bayard Rustin: The Invisible Activist."

This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. Rustin was born in 1912 and raised by his grandparents in West Chester, Pennsylvania. From an early age, Rustin learned Quaker values of nonviolence and peace from his grandmother, Julia Rustin. She supported his sexuality, even though many people at the time unfairly discriminated against gay people. Back then, people could even be unjustly arrested for being gay.

Arrested For His Sexual Orientation

In 1941, Rustin joined the Fellowship of Reconciliation, or FOR. The group fought for equal rights, but fired Rustin when he was arrested in Pasadena, California, for his sexuality.

At FOR, though, Rustin met A. Philip Randolph. Randolph would be an important teacher and friend to him for decades. Randolph was the one who introduced Rustin to King in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1956. The meeting began a long and sometimes difficult relationship between the two men. It also changed the course of the civil rights movement. Long explained that Rustin was the one who convinced King to commit to nonviolence.

Outside Forces Used Rustin To Disrupt Movement

When they met, King knew Rustin was gay and had been arrested. Rustin was also a brilliant organizer. He became part of King's inner circle. Others, though, feared people would use Rustin's sexuality against the movement. Before the 1960 Democratic National Convention, their fears came true.

Randolph, King, and Rustin planned to march at the convention in Los Angeles in protest of the party's weak position on civil rights. In response, Democratic leadership sent black Congressman Adam Clayton Powell to stop them. Powell threatened to tell people that Rustin and King were romantically involved.

King gave in and decided to distance himself from Rustin, one of few times that King lost a battle to fear. Walter Naegle was Rustin's partner at the time of his death in 1987. He said that Rustin understood that King's decision was good for the movement politically. However, he had been disappointed that King did not stand up for him.

Rustin Brought Back Into Fold With King, Movement

Rustin continued his work with Randolph on civil rights issues. King recognized that the movement needed Rustin. He slowly brought Rustin back in.

Others in the movement, though, still opposed Rustin's involvement. Roy Wilkins, who was a leader in the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), argued that Rustin was too difficult to defend against enemies. He did not want Rustin to organize the March on Washington.

This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. So, King and John Lewis, a member of the Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee at the time, came up with a plan. They had Randolph voted in to organize the march. They knew Randolph, who was well-respected in the movement, would easily win. Randolph would then make Rustin his deputy. Rustin would be the one really running the march, according to Long.

King Shows Support For Rustin

The plan worked. However, people like Senator Strom Thurmond of South Carolina tried to use Rustin against the march. The movement stood by Rustin this time, though. Not only did King come out in support of Rustin, all of the leaders within the movement did.

The march went on to be more successful than anyone could have imagined. Naegle believes it re-energized people and gave them hope.

Fought For The Rights Of Others

Rustin and King continued to work together for years. Rustin spent his life fighting for civil rights. In the 1980s, he spoke at gay rights events. During the last years of his life, Rustin gave an interview with the Washington Blade, a gay and lesbian newspaper. The interview was released by the podcast Making Gay History in early 2019.

During the interview, Rustin spoke about being both black and gay in the civil rights movement. He knew he needed to be honest about who he was. Otherwise, he would be helping the unfair hatred against him.

Rustin died on August 24, 1987. In 2013, President Barack Obama awarded Rustin the Presidential Medal of Freedom. It is the highest award someone can earn outside of the military. The medal honored his life of activism.

This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. Quiz

1 What effect did Senator Strom Thurmond have on Bayard Rustin?

(A) Thurmond tried to get Rustin out of the movement, but civil rights leaders had already cast him out.

(B) Thurmond tried to get Rustin out of the movement, and he got many leaders to support his idea.

(D) Thurmond threatened Rustin's position in the movement, and King placed Rustin in a different role.

2 According to the section "Rustin Brought Back Into Fold With King, Movement," how did King get Rustin involved in the movement again?

(A) King apologized to Rustin for having pushed him away years ago. Once Rustin accepted the apology, King made him Randolph's deputy and he worked alongside Randolph on the march.

(B) King got people to select Rustin's friend, Randolph, to plan the march. Once Randolph was chosen, Rustin would be called the assistant and would be the one actually in charge of the march.

(C) King found that it was too hard to have Rustin rejoin the movement. Once King realized that, he asked Rustin's friend Randolph to plan the march, which forced Rustin to rejoin after the march.

(D) King brought Rustin back in slowly and quietly so no one would notice. Once Rustin began to organize the march, King asked Randolph to announce that Rustin was running the march.

3 The word "discrimination" is essential to understanding Bayard Rustin’s life.

Which sentence from the article explains what "discrimination" means?

(A) It also changed the course of the civil rights movement.

(B) However, he had been disappointed that King did not stand up for him.

(D) Otherwise, he would be helping the unfair hatred against him.

4 Read the sentence from the section ”Outside Forces Used Rustin To Disrupt Movement."

King gave in and decided to distance himself from Rustin, one of few times that King lost a battle to fear.

Which answer choice uses "distance" in the SAME way as the sentence above?

(A) They had a distance to go before they caught up with their friends.

(B) The runner tried to put some distance between him and his competitors.

(D) We had to make a long distance call to talk with our mother in Utah.

This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com.