User:DAshanae24/Bayard Rustin

Lead
'''Bayard Rustin was a prominent activist during the civil rights movement. He was an openly gay black man, which led to most of his work to being left unnoticed at the time. Many of his contributions changed history. Significantly his directing of the March on Washington in 1963 contributed to a change in equality. Later in his life he would go on to make contributions to gay rights.'''

Nov-Violent Teachings
'''Rustin created the nonviolent approach after studying Gandhi's teachings while visiting India. His principle "consisted of sitting it out… and appealing to the moral heart of the individual." A.J. Muste was the leader of the Fellowship of Reconciliation and a mentor to Rustin. He considered Rustin to be a fine young man of oratorical ability and intelligence who would sacrifice himself repeatedly for a good cause. '''

Evolving affiliations
At the direction of the Soviet Union, the Communist Party USA (CPUSA) and its members, including Rustin at that time, were active in the 1930s in supporting civil rights for African Americans. The CPUSA, at the time following Stalin's "theory of nationalism", favored the creation of a separate nation for African Americans to be located in the American Southeast where the greatest proportion of the black population was concentrated. With his connections with the party, Rustin would be called a “red” throughout his life.

'''Rustin had an “infinite capacity for compassion,” according to Daniel Levinson. Having an interest in social change from a young age, he would work with the Democratic Party and be influenced by their ideals. However, this changes later in his life when he begins to align with conservative views. In 1944, while imprisoned in North Carolina, Rustin displayed nonviolent tactics. He would allow himself to get beaten repeatedly by a white inmate until he gave up, as Rustin was unnerved. Rustin defied segregation during that time and practiced his tactic while incarcerated. '''

'''Rustin was a confident man and did not let his depression consume him. "He was a man at ease with his blackness and his homosexuality, confident of his intelligence and talent." After having a setback, he steps right back into action. He helped create the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and connected Martin Luther King Jr. with some of his prominent peers. Bayard would also preach his nonviolent approach to others, which would set the standards for the civil rights movement. One of the movements that he helped with was the Montgomery Boycott in the 50s. They had to meet in private to consolidate with King because of his critics. There were a few people who did not agree with his views and his teachings during this time .'''

March on Washington
'''One of the most significant events that Bayard Rustin organized was the March on Washington in 1963. Though he had such a great accomplishment, he was shunned and pushed away from the movement. This is primarily due to his sexual orientation and a difference of views. Rustin had to hide his contributions to the march, and the credit went to his mentor, A. Philip Randolph. The March on Washington played a significant role in the civil rights movement and equality for all. Rustin stated his thoughts on the march and said it "made Americans feel for the first time that we were capable of being truly a nation, that we were capable of moving beyond division and bigotry". '''

Criticisms
'''Rustin was at the forefront of the freedom struggle for African Americans but parted ways from the activists in 1968. He was considered an “Uncle Tom” by some as he started to fight for equality for all and not just blacks. An incident in the summer of 1964 in which a police officer killed a black child led to violence. “When he urged blacks to resist with non-violence, they spat at him and shot back “Uncle Tom! Uncle Tom!”. This comes after protesters of blacks and Puerto Ricans were denied job opportunities by the New York government. Rustin’s views of the protest were to “urge them not to behave with desperation but politically and rationally.” Bayard wanted to create a just society and step away from the nonviolent approach that he had followed in previous years. He would later switch from radicalism to the conservative side. Rustin wanted blacks to align themselves with whites to see progression. '''

Gay Rights
Davis Platt, Bayard's partner from the 1940s, said "I never had any sense at all that Bayard felt any shame or guilt about his homosexuality. That was rare in those days. Rare."

'''Rustin was an openly gay black man during this time. Others viewed his homosexuality as promiscuous and disabling. Rustin's sexual adventures often lead him to trouble. Leaders and friends warned him not to allow his sexual orientation to hinder the movements that were going on at the time. If this happened, it would make a mockery of the organizations. Rustin was arrested a couple of times due to his relations with the same sex. One incident has tarnished his career and left others to isolate themselves from him. In Pasadena, he was arrested and put in jail for 60 days due to having sex in a car with two members of his audience during a speaking tour. Due to being outcasted by his peers, Rustin fell into a depression that would come back later in later times of his life. '''

'''Bayard often would be viewed as bisexual because of those attracted to him. His relationships were mainly with the men, both black and white. However, his longer relationships were with the latter. Rustin did not realize his sexual orientation when he was in school. His awareness left no worry, and his family openly accepted it. '''

Rustin did not engage in any gay rights activism until the 1980s. He was urged to do so by his partner Walter Naegle, who has said that "I think that if I hadn't been in the office at that time, when these invitations [from gay organizations] came in, he probably wouldn't have done them."''' He advocated for AIDS/HIV, and because of his public works, he may have “came out” to the public. Rustin no longer hinders his sexual orientation from others. “His aim--to how people responded to him as a black gay man—was “the new barometer for social change” .'''