Bayard Rustin Biography: Net Worth, Salary, Nationality, Wedding



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Bayard Rustin was an American civil rights leader, activist, and organizer. He was born on March 17, 1912, in West Chester, Pennsylvania, to Florence Rustin and Archie Hopkins. His father was a carpenter and his mother was a domestic worker. He had two younger brothers, Walter and Benjamin. He was educated at the local Quaker school, Westtown School. He was an excellent student and athlete, and he excelled in track and field. After graduation, he attended Wilberforce University in Ohio for one year before transferring to Cheyney State Teachers College (now Cheyney University) in Pennsylvania. He graduated with a degree in economics in 1935.

Rustin became interested in civil rights while in college. He joined the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the Communist Party USA. He also became a Quaker. In 1936, he moved to New York City to work for the Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR), an interfaith pacifist organization. He traveled to Europe and the Soviet Union, where he observed firsthand the rise of Nazism and Stalinism. He also visited India, where he met Mahatma Gandhi and was deeply influenced by his philosophy of nonviolent resistance.

When he returned to the United States, Rustin joined the staff of A. Philip Randolph, a prominent African-American labor leader. In 1941, they organized the March on Washington Movement to pressure the federal government to ban racial discrimination in defense industries and the armed forces. The march was postponed due to the outbreak of World War II, but it was eventually held in 1963, with Rustin serving as one of the main organizers. The march was a success, and it helped pressure President John F. Kennedy to issue an executive order banning discrimination in defense contracts.

In the 1950s, Rustin was active in the civil rights movement, working closely with Martin Luther King Jr. He helped organize the Montgomery bus boycott in 1955 and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) in 1957. He also helped plan the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, where King delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech.

In the 1960s, Rustin became increasingly critical of the Vietnam War and U.S. foreign policy. He spoke out against racism, poverty, and militarism. He was arrested several times for his activism. In 1968, he was convicted of draft evasion and sentenced to three years in prison. He served two years of his sentence before being released on parole.

After his release from prison, Rustin continued to work for social justice. He helped organize several major civil rights marches, including the Poor People’s Campaign in 1968 and the March Against Racism in 1971. He also worked for gay rights and spoke out against homophobia. In 1987, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the United States.

Rustin died of a heart attack on August 24, 1987, at his home in New York City. He was 75 years old.

Source: IMDb, Wikipedia