Bayard Rustin
(March 17, 1912 - August 24, 1987) U.S.A.
Civil Rights, Labor Rights, and Peace Activist/Leader
Born as Bayard Taylor Rustin in West Chester, Pennsylvania, Rustin was also a singer. He was the chief organizer of August 28, 1963, March on Washington, and assistent to Martin Luther King, who held his "I have a dream" speech during that march.
Civil rights leaders, concerned that his homosexuality and prison term as a conscientious objector during W.W.II might be used to discredit the march, he asked A. Philip Randolph to be the march's official head. Randolph kept Rustin on as chief organizer.
His books include:
- Down the line (1971)
- Strategies for Freedom: The Changing Patterns of Black Protest
Biography: Bayard Rustin: Troubles I've seen: A biography (1998, by Jervis Anderson)
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