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Bayard Rustin

Civil rights strategist and chief organizer of the 1963 March on Washington.

Bayard Rustin, born on March 17, 1912, in West Chester, Pennsylvania, was a civil rights activist, strategist, and writer. He played a leading role in shaping the modern nonviolent civil rights movement and was the chief organizer of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. Rooted in Quaker values and influenced by Gandhian principles, Rustin was an early advocate for nonviolent protest. He held leadership roles in organizations such as the Fellowship of Reconciliation, the Congress of Racial Equality, and the A. Philip Randolph Institute. Rustin died on August 24, 1987, in New York City.

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Bayard Rustin Biography

Pacifist, strategist, and the hidden architect of the 1963 March on Washington.

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Two marches, one Mall

Black-and-white photograph from the Lincoln Memorial: the 1963 crowd fills the Mall on both sides of the Reflecting Pool. — August 28, 1963Organized by Bayard RustinWarren K. Leffler, Library of Congress

Color photograph of the Washington Monument above a huge crowd with rainbow flags, April 25, 1993. — April 25, 1993Started by Urvashi VaidJames Steakley, CC BY-SA 4.0

The same Mall, thirty years apart: one march organized by Rustin, one started by Vaid.

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You scanned this Painting of Bayard Rustin by Camil Williams: a stylized portrait in glasses, dark suit and tie, one hand on his chest, against a bright orange background.