Bayard Rustin: American Dreamer
- ISBN-10
- 0742564800
- ISBN-13
- 9780742564800
- Series
- Bayard Rustin
- Category
- Biography & Autobiography
- Pages
- 128
- Language
- English
- Published
- 2008-12-16
- Publisher
- Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
- Author
- Jerald Podair
Description
Bayard Rustin was a unique twentieth-century American radical voice. A homosexual, World War II draft resister, and ex-communist, he made enormous contributions to the civil rights, socialist, labor, peace, and gay rights movements in the United States, despite being viewed as an "outsider" even by fellow activists. Rustin was a humanist who championed the disadvantaged and oppressed, regardless of identity. In Bayard Rustin: American Dreamer, Jerald Podair examines the life and career of a man who shaped virtually every aspect of the modern civil rights movement as a theorist, strategist, and spokesman. Podair begins by covering the period from Rustin's 1912 birth in West Chester, Pennsylvania, to his 1946 release from federal prison, where he served over two years for draft evasion. After his release, Rustin threw himself into work on behalf of pacifism and racial integration, two goals that, at this stage of his career, fit together almost seamlessly. Podair goes on to examine Rustin's role as the main organizer of the 1963 March on Washington, the most important civil rights demonstration in American history. He was a major influence on Martin Luther King, Jr.'s philosophy of nonviolent direct action, which led to the strategy that changed the course of American race relations. During the last years of his life, Rustin continued to champion the causes of socialism, coalition politics, and racial integration, as he also sought to aid oppressed people and foster democratic institutions worldwide. Yet for all this, Rustin was rarely permitted a leading role in the movements he helped to shape. Because of his sexuality and his background as a former communist and draft resister, he was forced to do much of his work on the fringes, offering his organizational, strategic, and rhetorical skills to public leaders who chose to keep him at arm's length. Despite this, as Podair makes clear, Bayard Rustin was one of the most important civil rights leaders—and one of the most important radical leaders—in twentieth-century American history. Documents in this book include excerpts from Rustin's writings, speeches, and public statements.
Get the book
Other editions
-
- 1997
- 121 pages
- Paperback
- Hyperion Books for Children
Similar books
-
Lost Prophet: The Life and Times of Bayard Rustin
By John D'EmilioJohn D'Emilio's compelling narrative rescues a forgotten figure and brings alive a time of great hope and great tragedy in the not-so-distant past.
-
I Must Resist: Bayard Rustin's Life in Letters
By Bayard RustinHe changed America—and the world—for the better. This collection of his letters makes his life and his passions come vividly alive, and helps restore him to history, a century after this birth.
-
Bayard Rustin and the Civil Rights Movement
By Daniel LevineMore than 120 works of art are analyzed, many never before published. These artists exhibited the works they created in Paris at prestigious salons in France and in the United States, winning fellowships, grants, and awards.
-
We are One: The Story of Bayard Rustin
By Larry Dane BrimnerThe march was one of those few moments in American history when there was almost absolute unity within the black community . " It also proved that we were capable of being one people . One people . One family .
-
Bayard Rustin: Troubles I've Seen : a Biography
By Jervis AndersonBayard Rustin was one of the most complex and interesting of the black intellectuals during a period of dramatic change in America. He is perhaps best known as the organizer...
-
Troublemaker for Justice: The Story of Bayard Rustin, the Man Behind the March on Washington
By Michael G. Long, Jacqueline Houtman, Walter Naegle—Michael Bronski, author of A Queer History of the United States “Troublemaker for Justice will thrill and inspire young readers—and their parents. Bayard Rustin was a crucial figure in the Civil Rights movement, and everyone should ...
-
No Easy Answers: Bayard Rustin and the Civil Rights Movement
By Calvin Craig MillerLooks at the life of Bayard Rustin, an organizer behind the scenes of the civil rights movement whose ideas influenced Martin Luther King, Jr.
-
Time on Two Crosses: The Collected Writings of Bayard Rustin
By Bayard RustinIn 1956 Bayard Rustin taught Martin Luther King Jr. strategies of nonviolence during the Montgomery Bus Boycott, thereby launching the civil rights movement.
-
A Song for the Unsung: Bayard Rustin, the Man Behind the 1963 March on Washington
By Rob Sanders, Carole Boston WeatherfordA singular, richly illustrated picture book biography of Bayard Rustin, the gay Black man behind the March on Washington of 1963, by the acclaimed authors of Unspeakable: the Tulsa Race Massacre and Pride: The Story of Harvey Milk and the ...
-
Bayard Rustin: The Invisible Activist
By Michael G. Long, Jacqueline Houtman, Walter NaegleHis belief in nonviolent action as a means for social change gave him a guiding vision for the civil rights movement, which he used to mentor the young Martin Luther King, Jr. When A. Philip Randolph needed the best organizer on the planet, ...