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I Must Resist: Bayard Rustin's Life in Letters
Published on the centennial of his birth, and in anticipation of the 50th anniversary of the historic March on Washington, here is Bayard Rustin’s life story told in his own words.
Bayard Rustin has been called the “lost prophet” of the civil rights movement. A master strategist and tireless activist, he is best remembered as the organizer of the 1963 March on Washington, one of the largest nonviolent protests ever held in the U.S. He brought Gandhi’s protest techniques to the American civil rights movement and played a deeply influential role in the life of Martin Luther King, Jr., helping to mold him into an international symbol of nonviolence.
Despite these achievements, Rustin often remained in the background. He was silenced, threatened, arrested, beaten, imprisoned and fired from important leadership positions, largely because he was an openly gay man in a fiercely homophobic era.
Here we have Rustin in his own words in a collection of over 150 of his letters; his correspondents include the major progressives of his day — for example, Eleanor Holmes Norton, A. Philip Randolph, Roy Wilkins, Ella Baker, and of course, Martin Luther King, Jr.
Bayard Rustin’s eloquent, impassioned voice, his ability to chart the path “from protest to politics,” is both timely and deeply informative. As the Occupy movement ushers America into a pivotal election year, and as politicians and citizens re-assess their goals and strategies, these letters provide direct access to the strategic thinking and tactical planning that led to the successes of one of America’s most transformative and historic social movements.
Bayard Rustin has been called the “lost prophet” of the civil rights movement. A master strategist and tireless activist, he is best remembered as the organizer of the 1963 March on Washington, one of the largest nonviolent protests ever held in the U.S. He brought Gandhi’s protest techniques to the American civil rights movement and played a deeply influential role in the life of Martin Luther King, Jr., helping to mold him into an international symbol of nonviolence.
Despite these achievements, Rustin often remained in the background. He was silenced, threatened, arrested, beaten, imprisoned and fired from important leadership positions, largely because he was an openly gay man in a fiercely homophobic era.
Here we have Rustin in his own words in a collection of over 150 of his letters; his correspondents include the major progressives of his day — for example, Eleanor Holmes Norton, A. Philip Randolph, Roy Wilkins, Ella Baker, and of course, Martin Luther King, Jr.
Bayard Rustin’s eloquent, impassioned voice, his ability to chart the path “from protest to politics,” is both timely and deeply informative. As the Occupy movement ushers America into a pivotal election year, and as politicians and citizens re-assess their goals and strategies, these letters provide direct access to the strategic thinking and tactical planning that led to the successes of one of America’s most transformative and historic social movements.
516 pages, Paperback
First published March 20, 2012
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About the author
Bayard Rustin
38 books46 followersAmerican civil rights leader and pacifist Bayard Rustin organized the march on Washington in 1963.
Bayard Rustin, an African moved for socialism, nonviolence, and gay.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bayard_...
Bayard Rustin, an African moved for socialism, nonviolence, and gay.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bayard_...
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
May 27, 2020
It took me a few months, but I finished this incredible book! It is not a book for everybody- it is dense, historical and often academic. I found it to be challenging and deepened my understanding of the United States. Rustin was intersectional before there was a term for it- black, pro-labor, nonviolent and gay. By learning about his life and activities, I am humbled and inspired.
Three of my favorite learnings:
1. In a letter from jail, Rustin wrote to someone who asked him if nonviolence would work in a situation like Hitler's leadership in Germany. His response "It is not maintained that these means can be used by Americans to stop immediately an aggressive Hitler, but it must be felt that the vicious circle must be broken now and witness given to another way of life." (page 59+) Throughout his life, Rustin was asked if his work made a difference and occasionally he answered with a "long view" approach.
2. When Strom Thurmond went public in accusing Rustin of being black, homosexual and a socialist a number of Rustin's friends write an incredible letter to the editor. While never directly denying Thurmond's statement about his homosexuality, Rustin's friends spoke highly of his impeccable moral character. I found it to be a great example of how to respond to criticism. (page 262+)
3. When people started suggesting a march commemorating the twentieth anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, Rustin wrote a compelling explanation to Corretta Scott King and other as to why this was not a good idea. (He had been the organizer of the 1963 march.) His reasons were a clear example of how sometimes a very good and noble idea should be rejected. (They lacked money, capacity, people, a unified message and couldn't assure a peaceful protest, among other things.) Instead he proposed an alternative banquet/organizational forum which was carried out instead of a march. (page 435+)
Three of my favorite learnings:
1. In a letter from jail, Rustin wrote to someone who asked him if nonviolence would work in a situation like Hitler's leadership in Germany. His response "It is not maintained that these means can be used by Americans to stop immediately an aggressive Hitler, but it must be felt that the vicious circle must be broken now and witness given to another way of life." (page 59+) Throughout his life, Rustin was asked if his work made a difference and occasionally he answered with a "long view" approach.
2. When Strom Thurmond went public in accusing Rustin of being black, homosexual and a socialist a number of Rustin's friends write an incredible letter to the editor. While never directly denying Thurmond's statement about his homosexuality, Rustin's friends spoke highly of his impeccable moral character. I found it to be a great example of how to respond to criticism. (page 262+)
3. When people started suggesting a march commemorating the twentieth anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, Rustin wrote a compelling explanation to Corretta Scott King and other as to why this was not a good idea. (He had been the organizer of the 1963 march.) His reasons were a clear example of how sometimes a very good and noble idea should be rejected. (They lacked money, capacity, people, a unified message and couldn't assure a peaceful protest, among other things.) Instead he proposed an alternative banquet/organizational forum which was carried out instead of a march. (page 435+)
January 8, 2014
This book has knocked my socks off! I knew that Rustin was a black gay Quaker, and I had even read his biography from a few years back, _Lost Prophet_, but to read his words is nothing less than sensational. His 1942 letter to his draft board, in which he refused CO status, is laced with language about Jesus and God. When he was imprisoned in that same year, the first thing that he did was write the warden about the segregated conditions of the inmates, saying that in the Sermon on the "Mountain" [sic], Jesus said segregation was wrong. In another letter from prison around that same time, he talks about the operetta the prisoners are performing, then he talks about his being beaten up by whites (and he did not fight back and instructed those who attempted to help him not to fight back), and he concludes the letter by saying he wants to learn to play the mandolin! And that's saying nothing about how he tutored MLK and others in Gandhian non-violence in 1956, his organizing the '63 march, and various other trials and triumphs! Rustin was an original! This book is a gold-mine!
August 27, 2015
I decided to read this book after a story on Democracy Now about the upcoming 50th anniversary of the March on Washington. I had no idea that the person who organized the march was a gay man and (at first) a committed pacifist who taught King the non-violence tactics employed by his hero Gandhi! The book is not a straight biography but is Rustin's many, many letters interspersed with small explanations about the significance of the addressee. Rustin became more and more moderate in his later years, and never entirely embraced his gay identity. A fascinating portrayal and anybody interested in civi rights or American history would find the book very interesting.
Read
November 25, 2022This is an intimate book about a central and often overlooked figure in the Civil Rights movement. Rustin was the moral and intellectual sounding board for almost every Civil Rights leader, and was also an out gay man (though he viewed sexuality as a private matter, and was outted and arrested in California, a conviction recently pardoned by the CA governor). I had never read a collection of letters before, and I’m not sure I will again anytime soon. It’s not a format I loved, but it was really cool to hear Rustin’s ideas and thoughts in his own words!
June 29, 2019
More people need to know about Bayard Rustin, a gay African-American activist who played a role in practically every major Civil Rights Movement events. Through his correspondences, we learn about his beliefs. A great example of a flawed individual who did great good things.
September 15, 2013
A must read for anyone thinking of a life in activism
February 20, 2021
Reading him in his own letters - to everyone from the warden of his jail cell to Randolph, King, Muste, presidents, and from Gandhi to Tutu - is astounding. A clear window into an the mind of an extraordinary thinker and leader over decades of impact.
January 17, 2020
If you are interested in history, this is a must read book. Bayard Rustin's life and career shaped many social movements and advocacy efforts. I enjoyed this book.
August 1, 2016
"Collected from over more than four decades, these letters are a reminder that one man can make a difference. . . . culled with care by editor Long, who also provides scene-setting historical and cultural annotations."
-Richard Labonte, The Rainbow Times
"This collection of letters sheds light on one of the great overlooked activists of the 20th century. Each letter is prefaced by a paragraph providing context, helpful for those who don't have a deep knowledge of the events of that era. . . . His letters--some 150 are collected here chronologically--reveal an eloquent, persuasive activist, unafraid to challenge so-called authority figures when he encountered injustice."
—Philadelphia Gay News Staff
-Richard Labonte, The Rainbow Times
"This collection of letters sheds light on one of the great overlooked activists of the 20th century. Each letter is prefaced by a paragraph providing context, helpful for those who don't have a deep knowledge of the events of that era. . . . His letters--some 150 are collected here chronologically--reveal an eloquent, persuasive activist, unafraid to challenge so-called authority figures when he encountered injustice."
—Philadelphia Gay News Staff
February 5, 2016
Fascinating resource documenting Bayard's multi-interests. What a great, inspiring individual. However, little gay content. Have to vote no.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews