Bayard Rustin

Rustin has emerged of late as a hero almost perfectly tuned to our time. Bayard Rustin: A Legacy of Protest and Politics, a collection of essays on his life and times, edited by Michael G. Long, contains plenty of thoughtful new material, not least an essay by Rustin’s surviving partner, Walter Naegle. ~Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker

Rustin was multifaceted but fallible. In this insightful book, several observers contend that no one else could have done as well. Others are impressed by how Rustin combated oppression and injustice around the world…This book makes clear that Bayard Rustin, a man for his time, is a man for our time too. ~The Guardian

The essays in this lively, thought-provoking collection amplify what is known of Rustin’s trials and achievements. They offer inspiration for progressives and democratic socialists today by showing how Rustin lived openly and without apology as gay man and a pacifist. The collection also amplifies Rustin’s voice, which rang out to ensure that marginalized voices would be heard. ~The Gay & Lesbian Review

Bayard Rustin: A Legacy of Protest and Politics honors the gay civil rights activist’s relentless pursuit of truth by casting a critical eye on his life and work. ~Elaina Patton, NBC News

This volume celebrates the life and legacy of Bayard Rustin, the often overlooked civil rights leader behind the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. While Martin Luther King Jr.’s 'I Have a Dream' speech is etched into the collective memory, fewer people recognize the pivotal role Rustin played in organizing this monumental event in just eight weeks. ~ESSENCE

As Long’s book eloquently spells out, King was the visionary of the [civil rights] movement, while the actual organizing fell almost mainly on its key strategist, Rustin... A particularly inspiring contributor to the upcoming book is Walter Naegle, Rustin’s partner for the last years of his life. ~TheGrio

This book needs to sit on the shelf next to everything written about Dr. King. It’s an essential companion to any volume about the Civil Rights Movement. If you need history, find Bayard Rustin and settle in. ~Terri Schlichenmeyer, Bookworm Sez

Bayard Rustin contained multitudes. Many years ago I had the experience of listening to him deliver a part lecture, part performance revealing several of his identities that included pacifist, socialist, gay, organizer, ghost writer, advisor, leader, coalition builder, internationalist, anti-colonialist, singer, Quaker and African American. Mike Long enlists a diverse group of scholars, activists, and writers in an excellent attempt to capture them for those who could not witness them personally. ~Charles P. Henry, author of Racial Imagination and the American Dream

Every chapter in this smart, accessible book is brimming with fascinating stories, thoughtful analysis, and important critique. It’s an inspirational reminder that fierce ancestors like Bayard Rustin were also complicated humans, like all of us. Rustin was a dynamic and multi-dimensional political leader who defies any one label: Quaker, pacifist, prisoner, communist, internationalist, nonviolent strategist, organizer, socialist, social democrat, polemicist, singer, queer! ~Brian Jones, author of The Tuskegee Student Uprising: A History

[This] outstanding collection provides a wide-ranging, multifaceted view of the life and experiences of civil rights leader Bayard Rustin. ~CHOICE