Baynard Taylor Rustin

Bayard Rustin (1912–1987) was a key American civil rights leader, activist, and strategist whose work advanced racial justice, nonviolence, labor rights, and human dignity. He was the principal organizer of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom and a close advisor to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., helping to teach and promote nonviolent protest. Rustin worked alongside leaders such as A. Philip Randolph and Ella Baker, supported Freedom Rides, strengthened the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and fought discrimination in labor unions. A gay man who often worked behind the scenes due to prejudice, he later became a public advocate for LGBTQ+ rights. In 2013, he was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Rustin’s legacy continues through organizations dedicated to justice, equality, and peace. (Wikipedia 1/24/2026)