131 Bayard Rustin Facts You Should Know About The Activist

The history of the American civil rights movement would certainly be incomplete without the mention of Bayard Rustin, an African American gay man, who was a close advisor of Martin Luther King Jr.

Born in 1916, Rustin was committed to ending the discrimination faced by African Americans from a very young age. Ever since Rustin's youth, he was involved in protests against the Jim Crow laws of the time.

Bayard Rustin was a strong believer in human rights and equality. He made these issues the central cause of his protests.

However, due to his sexual orientation and brief association with the communist party during his stay in New York, he was usually kept in the background of most civil rights movements.

Nevertheless, his contribution paved the way for a number of accomplishments that benefitted the African American community.

He was one of the organizers of the Montgomery bus boycott, and one of the leaders of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, along with A. Philip Randolph. Both of these movements led to legislative changes in favor of establishing equality among the black and white communities of the time.

Rustin identified as a pacifist and strongly believed in Gandhian values and principles of non-violence. During his later life, he also spoke of gay rights and advocated against the discrimination of people based on their sexual orientation.

One of the most noteworthy aspects of Rustin's life was that he was never ashamed of his own sexual identity, which made him stand out against the most conservative nature of his time.

Bayard Rustin died at the age of 75, on 24th August 1987, due to a perforated appendix. However, his legacy continues to live on and inspire millions.

To learn more facts about Bayard Rustin, keep reading! You can also check out Michelle Obama facts and Barack Obama facts. 

Fun Facts About Bayard Rustin

While Bayard Rustin remains to be one of the most iconic civil rights activists in American history, there are surely some amusing facts about him that you haven't heard of yet.

When Rustin moved to New York City for higher education, he joined the Young Communist League. At that time, the Young Communist League fought for the cause of civil rights, which aligned with Rustin's ideology.

However, the onset of World War II caused the Young Communist League to halt their support of the civil rights movement, and shift their primary focus to the Second World War. This move led Bayard Rustin to leave the Communist League and join the Socialist Party in 1941.

Fighting for racial justice and equality, Bayard Rustin advocated for the desegregation of bus travel. In those times, members of the black community had designated seats at the back of the bus.

However, in 1942, while traveling from Louisville to Nashville, Rustin chose to sit in the second row of the bus and refused to move even when he was asked to. Ultimately, he was arrested by the police, but no charges were filed.

He was also one of the participants in the famous Montgomery bus boycott which lasted from 1955-1956.

Unfortunately, Rustin was asked to leave Montgomery, as other activists believed that being a gay man, his identity would hurt the legitimacy of the movement. The civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. was the organizer of this movement.

The famous Freedom Rides, where civil rights leaders rode buses to the segregated South to further the cause of racial equality in states where Jim Crow was active, were started by Rustin along with George Houser, who was a staffer for the organization called Fellowship of Organization.

The first of the Freedom Rides was called Journey of Reconciliation and it took place in 1947.

Rustin and his fellow activists traveled from Washington to North Carolina.

Did you know that Rustin identified as a pacifist? In fact, he was jailed twice for not complying to sign up for the military draft.

Rustin was also highly influenced by Gandhi and wanted to travel to India in 1948 to further learn about Gandhi's non-violent tactics and methods. Unfortunately, Gandhi was assassinated before Rustin could meet him.

Nevertheless, Rustin still traveled to India and spoke to the leaders of the Gandhian movement. On coming back, he passed on the knowledge he had gained to Martin Luther King Jr. and advised him against using guns, even for his own protection.

Facts About Bayard Rustin's Accomplishments

Due to Rustin's sexual identity and former association with the communist ideology, he was often limited to influencing civil rights movement policies from the background. Nevertheless, Bayard Rustin's contributions to the civil rights movement and even the gay rights movement are worth noting.

To put it simply, Rustin was an ardent supporter of human rights and did everything in his power to ensure equality and end the systems of injustice.

One of Rustin's biggest accomplishments was the organization of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.

Taking place in August of 1963, the March on Washington was one of the largest and most significant political rallies to have taken place in the United States of America. This rally took place to promote and support the civil rights of African Americans, with special emphasis on their economic rights.

Rustin was responsible for training security forces who were posted in the march, along with controlling traffic and preparing the program for the civil rights speakers.

Due to the controversies surrounding Rustin, he was made the deputy, while A. Philip Randolph was designated as the director of the march. However, Rustin received his due credit when both he and A. Philip Randolph were recognized as the leaders behind the march.

Over 200,000 marchers joined the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom movement, and this historical event helped pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

While Rustin never openly discussed his sexuality, during the '80s, Rustin advocated for gay rights and better acceptance of the gay community. During Rustin's time, and given his stature, it was quite revolutionary of him to not feel any shame about his own sexual identity, and in fact, openly lent his voice to support gay rights.

Rustin was a close friend of Justice Thurgood Marshall of the Supreme Court.

This gave him the opportunity to influence Marshall's views on homosexuality. This led to historical dissent of Marshall from the decision of the court to uphold the laws pertaining to sodomy at the time.

In 2013, Rustin was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama, who further highlighted Rustin's contributions to ending racial discrimination as a civil rights activist, and also his fight for equality for people belonging to all sexual orientations.

Facts About Bayard Rustin's Childhood

Rustin's childhood provides a look into the most comprehensive years of his life that shaped his ideologies growing up.

Born on 17 March 1916 in West Chester of Pennsylvania, Rustin was brought up by his grandparents. His parents were named Archie Hopkins and Florence Rustin.

Funnily enough, when Rustin was young, he thought his mother was his elder sister. Rustin's grandmother, named Julia Rustin, was a member of the NAACP or National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Famous leaders like James Weldon Johnson and W.E.B.

Du Bois were known to visit the Rustin family's home from time to time. Needless to say, such visits definitely influenced the young Rustin, and the fact that he protested against the Jim Crow laws from a very young age was a testament to that.

Apart from his early interest in activism, Rustin was also into sports and poetry. He was a player on his school's football team and also engaged in writing poems.

Facts About Bayard Rustin's Education

Bayard Rustin attended a number of institutions, and needless to say, fighting for the cause of racial equality in such institutions. He was also a member of some organizations on campus.

Rustin finished high school graduation from West Chester High School, where he was recognized as a star student. After high school, Rustin won a scholarship to attend Wilberforce University.

Located in Ohio, Wilberforce University was recognized as a historically black college. On campus, he was a part of the fraternity named Omega Psi Phi, which was an African American fraternity of the time. However, Rustin's participation in strikes on campus led to his expulsion from Wilberforce University in 1931.

After this incident, Rustin continued his education at the Cheyney State Teachers College from 1931-1933. After moving to New York City in 1937, Rustin enrolled in the City College of New York, where he studied till the year 1935.

Despite all these years dedicated to learning, Rustin never received a formal degree. However, now, multiple honorary degrees have been conferred to this great man.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for 131 Bayard Rustin facts you should know about the activist, then why not take a look at the accomplishment of Rosa Parks, or Martin Luther King Jr facts?