Module 7 Brother Outsider: The Life of Bayard Rustin

As you watch the film, note each time that Rustin challenged injustice, and identify moments when Rustin himself was the target of injustice. What were the results of each incident? What do these moments reveal about Rustin's character?

Your thoughts on one incident from the film will be posted in this week's discussion.

Synopsis

Bayard Rustin shaped the Civil Rights Movement strategy as a longtime advisor to Martin Luther King, Jr., and was known and respected by numerous U.S. presidents and foreign leaders. This documentary captures Rustin's commitment to pacifism and his visionary advocacy of Gandhian nonviolence, which made him a pioneer in the 1940s and captured King's imagination in the 1950s. In 1963, Rustin was tapped by A. Philip Randolph to organize the historic March on Washington, the largest protest America had ever seen at the time. But Rustin was also seen as a political liability. He was openly gay during the fiercely homophobic era of the 40s and 50s and, as a result, was frequently shunned by the very same movement he helped create.

Brother Outsider: The Life of Bayard Rustin