Bayard Rustin
On this celebratory day for the civil rights movement, we should remember not only Martin Luther King and the hard work he did as a servant toward desegregation and the overall betterment of this country, but also those people who fought for equal rights among all throughout their entire lives and who's efforts and achievements remain unnoticed by the general American public today. Let us remember Bayard Rustin, an initiating leader in civil rights, gay rights, nonviolent resistance, and socialism. Due to the criminalization of homosexual activity in some parts of the United States in the 1950s, Rustin carried a criminal charge with him. He was criticized for this charge and for his open sexuality by fellow civil rights leaders because it detracted from the effect of his work. As a result, Rustin rarely stepped out as a public figure and worked influentially behind the scenes for more known civil rights leaders such as Dr. King. This remained true until the 1980s when issues regarding gay and lesbian rights surfaced, redeeming him a public advocate for this cause. At the age of 75, Bayard Rustin passed away in 1987. May he rest in eternal peace.
1. I wrote about Bayard Rustin because he isn't known very well even though he deserves to be. He worked rigorously in the civil rights and gay rights movements and deserves recognition from this generation of people.
ReplyDelete2. I had no difficulty writing this post.
3. The rhetorical purpose of this strictly informative.
He certainly deserve to be remembered as well - especially considering how much adversary her had to traverse. Not only was he black during a time when that was not welcomed into the equal community, but he was also gay, and so doubly oppressed in many senses. Thank you for bringing light to this deserving activist!
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