Civil Rights & Activism

Bayard Rustin

Born March 17, 1912 · West Chester, Pennsylvania · Joined the Ancestors August 24, 1987

The brilliant strategist behind the 1963 March on Washington — Bayard Rustin was the architect of nonviolent direct action in America, whose contributions were long obscured because he was openly gay.

Known For

Organized the March on Washington

Taught

MLK nonviolent strategy

Honor

Presidential Medal of Freedom, posthumous

Bayard Rustin was raised by his grandparents in West Chester, Pennsylvania. A gifted singer and athlete, he was drawn to pacifism through his Quaker upbringing and became one of the earliest practitioners of Gandhian nonviolent resistance in America.

Rustin was the strategic genius behind the civil rights movement. He mentored a young Martin Luther King Jr. in nonviolent philosophy during the Montgomery Bus Boycott. He organized the 1963 March on Washington — bringing 250,000 people to the National Mall in just eight weeks — one of the greatest logistical feats of the 20th century.

Despite his brilliance, Rustin was deliberately kept in the background because he was openly gay. Opponents used his sexuality to try to discredit the movement. He continued fighting for civil rights, labor rights, and LGBTQ+ rights until his death. In 2013, President Obama posthumously awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom.