Brother Outsider Introduction (02:55)

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Bayard Rustin was a significant nonviolent influence in the Civil Rights movement, and a leader in several subsequent social change movements.

Angelic Troublemaker (02:07)

Rustin was born in a segregated Pennsylvania town in 1912. He had white friends, but was not allowed to see them outside of school.

Rustin's Early Life (02:29)

Rustin's Quaker grandmother raised him and taught him to stand up to injustice. He began his justice work as a child.

Rustin's College Education (02:36)

At Wilberforce, Rustin learned public speaking and organized a strike. In Harlem, he joined a quartet to pay for his college education. Rustin joined the Communist Party.

Muste Boys (02:24)

Rustin left the Communist Party when they dropped their concern for black people. Rustin worked for A.J. Muste in nonviolent political action.

Attacking Racial Injustice (02:58)

Rustin said, "One can react three ways: slavish acceptance, armed resistance, or nonviolent resistance." KKK members attend a rally. (Graphic images)

Rustin's Partner (01:24)

Davis Platt recalls meeting Rustin at a discussion about racial injustice; they made an instant connection.

Conscientious Objection (02:34)

Rustin was sentenced to three years in prison for refusing to submit to the draft.

Writing in Code (01:30)

While Rustin was in prison, he and Platt kept in touch. After he was released, they openly lived together.

A. Philip Randolph (02:59)

Randolph taught Rustin how to connect the labor movement and racial progress. A.J. Muste pressured Rustin to suppress his homosexuality.

Chain Gang Sentence (01:28)

In 1947, Rustin spent 30 days on a chain gang for sitting next to a white man on a bus. He wrote about it later, resulting in North Carolina ending the use of chain gang punishment.

Rustin in India (02:08)

Rustin traveled to India to attend a nonviolence conference. Rustin met many leaders from the independence movement.

Rustin's Sexuality (01:30)

Rustin was openly gay. Platt ended their relationship after four years because Rustin was interested in many people.

Rustin Arrested Again (03:37)

Rustin was arrested in Pasadena for sex perversion. Rustin left the League of Reconciliation. A psychiatrist advised him to separate his sexuality from his advocacy work.

Montgomery Bus Boycott (02:59)

Martin Luther King participates in a nonviolent protest. Alabama Public Service Commission President, C.C, Owen vows to enforce segregation laws. Rustin offered King advice.

Adviser to Dr. King (01:32)

When Rustin's Pasadena arrest came to light, he removed his counsel to preserve the movement.

Nuclear Disarmament (03:32)

Rustin led a protest to Algeria, where France was planning to test a nuclear bomb. The group was detained, and the test proceeded as planned.

Chicago Convention (03:13)

In 1960, Rustin was asked to plan protests at the Chicago Democratic Convention. Rep. Adam Clayton Powell used Rustin's Pasadena arrest to force him out of the movement.

Rustin Felt Betrayed (01:29)

King may have sided with Powell for political reasons, but Rustin felt personally betrayed by the lack of support.

Separation vs. Integration (02:06)

Rustin and Malcolm X debated Civil Rights tactics. Malcolm X thought separation would never work; Rustin wanted to show that Civil Rights are everyone's battle.

Planning the March (02:02)

A. Philip Randolph planned a March on Washington in 1941 to get work opportunities for blacks, but it was canceled. Rustin organized the 1963 march.

Not Backing Down (02:57)

Three weeks before the march, Strom Thurmond described Ruston's Pasadena charge. Ruston received full support from the activists, including King.

Master of Organization (02:32)

The March on Washington helped bring King and Rustin back together.

March on Washington (04:51)

See archival footage of the March on Washington; more than 200,000 participated.

Politics and Power (02:27)

The March on Washington brought Rustin into the spotlight.

Rustin's Stance on Vietnam (02:12)

To continue working with L.B.J. on Civil Rights, Rustin refrained from participating in the antiwar movement.

Rustin's Compromise (02:40)

Many activists saw Rustin's silence on Vietnam as compromising his ideals; others thought that embracing the antiwar movement risked what they had achieved for civil rights.

Marrying Civil Rights to Organized Labor (02:04)

Rustin brought King into a Memphis Sanitation Workers' strike which erupted in chaos. King wanted to return for a nonviolent strike.

Martin Luther King Assassinated (02:45)

The day after the second Memphis strike, King was assassinated. Rustin organized a memorial march for him the following day.

Violence in the Movement (03:22)

Violence appeared in the Civil Rights movement. Rustin condemned the black power movement for teaching hate.

Rustin Criticized (01:50)

Black Nationalists condemned Rustin because he sought to negotiate. Rustin was considered a radical by the political establishment.

Rustin's Activism (02:31)

Walter Naegle recalls meeting his partner, Rustin, and the work Rustin did in his later life with Russian Jews.

Rustin's Commitment (02:31)

Rustin never stopped working for justice and freedom for all people. In the last years of his life, he worked in the gay rights movement.

Credits: Brother Outsider: The Life of Bayard Rustin (01:33)

Credits: Brother Outsider: The Life of Bayard Rustin