Gay Black Civil Rights Pioneer Biopic, ‘RUSTIN’ Opens Nov 3rd

Called the “lost prophet” of the Civil Rights Movement, Bayard Rustin was often pushed to the back or left in the shadows because he was openly gay; but his enormous impact on the Black and LGBTQ civil rights movements cannot be diminished.  The new biopic, RUSTIN (in theatres November 3^rd and streaming on Netflix November 17^th) illuminates the life, work, and enduring legacy of the man who mentored Martin Luther King Jr in non-violent protest, planned the historic “March on Washington,” and became an icon of intersectionality long before that was recognized.

Related Post: “Pride Profile: Bayard Rustin, Civil Rights and LGBT Activist”

RUSTIN is produced in partnership with Barack and Michelle Obama’s production company Higher Ground Productions.   In 2013, then President Obama posthumously awarded Bayard Rustin the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor.  At the White House ceremony, President Obama presented Rustin’s award to his longtime life partner, Walter Naegle saying in part, “As an openly gay African American, Mr. Rustin stood at the intersection of several of the fights for equal rights.”

“When an individual is protesting society’s refusal to acknowledge his dignity as a human being, his very act of protest confers dignity on him.”  

—  Bayard Rustin

This story from CBS Sunday Morning highlights Bayard Rustin’s story and the passion of the people bringing it to the screen.

Coleman Domingo plays Bayard and is surrounded by a supporting cast in RUSTIN which includes Chris Rock and Audra McDonald.

 

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In theaters November 3rd and on streaming November 17th. this is the trailer for the trailblazing civil rights leader, RUSTIN.

Bayard Rustin’s legacy lives on in countless ways but none more tangible than the Bayard Rustin Center for Social Justice, an LGBTQIA safe-space and community activist center.  Follow and support their work at RustinCenter.org 

 

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(main image via Netflix website)