Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Remember MLK's Gay Mentor & Advisor

Bayard Rustin is best remembered as the organizer of the 1963 March on Washington, one of the largest nonviolent protests ever held in the United States. He brought Gandhi's protest techniques to the American civil rights movement, and helped mold Martin Luther King, Jr. into an international symbol of peace and nonviolence. Despite these achievements, Rustin 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. BROTHER OUTSIDER presents a feature-length documentary portrait, focusing on Rustin's activism for peace, racial equality, economic justice and human rights.



Here are some other ways to remember Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. from

Martin Luther King's dreams echo the dreams of those in the LGBT community
.

Read Coretta Scott King's forceful statement on the importance of gay rights to the overall civil rights struggle and how MLK's memory demanded a strong stand for gay and lesbian rights. Here

Did you know one of Martin Luther King's close advisors was gay?
Bayard Rustin organizer of the 1963 March on Washington was an openly gay man.

Want to do something to make Martin Luther King proud today?
Here are some tips for fighting racism in the LGBT community.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

You know, I really never knew about this! I LOVE history!