I just wanted to take a moment on this Martin Luther King, Jr. day to remember the life and work of Bayard Rustin, an oft-forgotten civil rights activist who worked closely alongside King, and someone with whom I wish we were all more familiar.
As a Black activist, one-time communist and long-time labor organizer, believer in non-violence, and an open gay man, I think we all have a lot to learn from his writings and the history of his life, and it disturbs me that his life has been so successfully forgotten by the public at large. Rustin is surely a perfect example of the connections between all of our struggles, and the need for inclusion and understanding across many different lines.
Here is a brief biography of Rustin written by his partner, Walter Naegle. Here is a different source.
I haven't learned to do those nifty grey box things, but here's a brief excerpt from Naegle:
"In 1956, at Mr. Randolph's request, he was granted temporary leave from his position to assist Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in the early days of the Montgomery Bus Boycott. His extensive background in the theory, strategies, and tactics of nonviolent direction action proved invaluable to Dr. King.
Mr. Rustin organized the Prayer Pilgrimage for Freedom in 1957, The National Youth Marches for Integrated Schools in 1958 and 1959, and was the Deputy Director and chief organizer of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom which, at that time, was the largest demonstration in the nation's history. Thought by many to be the high point of the Civil Rights movement, the March on Washington served as the platform for Dr. Kings historic "I Have a Dream" speech and helped secure pending civil rights legislation."
Here is a small collection of a few of his writings.
Books on his life & writings can be purchased, among other places, through my place of employment. Public libraries may serve you well, too... and, as my girlfriend is a librarian, I can't get by without plugging them.
Mostly, I just wanted to say a few words today, of all days, on the importance in "minority" communities of understanding our history. My great wish for the world is that we can all share a sense of pride in where we've come from, the people that have brought us where we are, and the communities in which we directly have roles... as well as those in which our roles are indirect. All of our struggles, though not necessarily the same in history or in direction, really are connected in important ways, and on this day of all days I hope we can all reflect on that; Rustin's life is one example, but the points of intersection between all of our communities are astounding.
Please, please, if you're not already doing so, take the time to learn your history. Especially those points of history which have been strategically excluded from public awareness. And, while you're at it, take some time to learn the history of others, as well, and you will find it a lot easier to understand why sometimes, others need to be so proud of how we are different.
And may you all have a great day today. I prefer to use MLK day for deep reflection, though realistically I have about a billion errands to run; nonetheless, I hope we can all take a few moments today to spend pondering the politics of division, and how to bring about, instead, the politics of inclusion.