Back(story) Extra: Bayard Rustin

Bayard Rustin (1912-1987) the American civil rights activist whose brilliant strategizing brought about the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom will be posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom this year. Over a 60-year career Rustin brought his brand of activism, fueled by his deep belief in Mahatma Gandhi’s philosophy of nonviolence to the American civil rights movement, inspiring Martin Luther King, Jr. and other leaders to his way of thinking.
Labeled a “troublemaker” for his skills at galvanizing citizens around successful protests and other actions, Rustin also caught the attention of the FBI and segregationist politicians such as Republican Sen. Strom Thurmond, who attempted to Rustin’s homosexuality against him in an effort to derail the march.
The harassment and unwanted spotlight on Rustin forced him to remain the power behind the scenes of what was inarguably one of the crowning achievements of his civil rights career, but it did not erase his pivotal role in American history. In celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, the 2003 documentary Brother Outsider: the Life of Bayard Rustin will be broadcast on August 28 at 7pm and midnight EST as part of the “America ReFramed” series on public television’s WORLD channel.