HISTORY
The Black, Openly Gay, Civil Rights Activist You Probably Never Heard of
History is plagued with racial discrimination, an issue as old as time itself. For centuries, people of color were subjected to ill-treatment, abuse, violence, and segregation based on their appearance and nothing more.
The Civil Rights Movement in America, which began in 1954 and spanned more than an arduous decade until 1968, completely changed the status of black people in not just the country but perhaps the world over. Today, we look back fondly on the movement’s pioneers like Martin Luther King Jr, John Lewis, Philip Randolph, and more, who undoubtedly changed what it meant to be African-American in 20th-century America and beyond.
But perhaps in their glory, we tend to overlook some of the lesser-known driving forces of the Civil Rights Movement, like Bayard Rustin. He was a lifelong advocate for non-violence and the man behind the famous March on Washington, yet he was forced into the shadows because of his status as an openly gay man. Today, we remember Bayard Rustin’s life and all he did for Civil Rights.
