Bayard Rustin (1912-1987)
West Chester, Chester County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
Born here, the civil rights leader and pacifist organized the 1963 March on Washington. Head of A. Phillip Randolph Institute, 1966-1979. Elected to Henderson High School Hall of Fame.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
Bayard Rustin was born in West Chester in 1912 and grew into one of the most brilliant strategists of the American civil rights movement. A lifelong pacifist schooled in nonviolence, he was the chief organizer of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, the massive demonstration where Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech. He later led the A. Philip Randolph Institute, linking the causes of civil rights and organized labor. Often pushed to the movement's margins because he was openly gay, Rustin worked tirelessly behind the scenes.
Why it matters
Rustin's organizing genius made the landmark March on Washington possible, and his life connects the civil rights struggle to the broader fight for human dignity across race and sexuality.
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Related people
- · Bayard Rustin
- · A. Philip Randolph
Related events
- · 1963 March on Washington
Themes & tags
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