YOUR WEEKLY COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER SERVING CHELSEA, HUDSON YARDS & HELL’S KITCHEN
PENN SOUTH PLAQUE LAUDS THE BAYARD RUSTIN LEGACY Bayard Rustin (1912–1987) Bayard Rustin was an essential figure in the U.S. Civil Rights Movement who shaped many of its core principles, strategies, and defining events. Beginning in the 1940s, Rustin spearheaded efforts to dismantle racial discrimination and segregation laws in the U.S. using Gandhian nonviolent methods. Convinced that these tactics could transform struggles for black American liberation and equality, Rustin organized and led civil disobedience actions across the country, including many of the first freedom rides and sit-ins. These pioneering acts would become the blueprints for major racial justice campaigns that advanced groundbreaking legislation and roused the national consciousness. When Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. first emerged as a leader during the Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955–56, Rustin introduced King to the foundations of nonviolent direct action. Rustin became a trusted mentor and advisor to King, and served the growing movement from behind the scenes as a strategist, writer, founder of key coalitions, and architect of major mobilizations. In 1963, facing violent backlash and seeking a political breakthrough, movement leaders called for the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, and chose Rustin to be its chief organizer. Masterfully planned and orchestrated, it was the largest demonstration in the nation’s history, and was instrumental in galvanizing support for landmark federal civil rights laws. The era and its legacy are imbued with Rustin’s vision. With his influence, nonviolent resistance became the moral and strategic cornerstone of the Civil Rights Movement. Throughout his rich and varied life, Rustin lent his talents and expertise to a diverse array of social causes ranging from global peace to economic justice, often alongside his mentor, civil rights and labor leader A. Philip Randolph. Rustin was an openly and unapologetically gay black man in an era of intense discrimination. It took decades for Rustin to be recognized for his central roles in numerous fights for equality and human dignity. Off to the corner reads the address and historic designation: 340 West 28th Street Bayard Rustin’s residence from 1962 to 1987 National Register of Historic Places
Photo by Winnie McCroy
The plaque honoring Bayard Rustin, at Penn South on W. 28th St. between Eighth and Ninth Aves. At left, read the full text.
BY WINNIE McCROY With reverence for history and in high spirits for the occasion meant to mark it, a crowd of 200 gathered on the morning of Thurs., June 28 for a dedication ceremony unveiling a plaque to honor civil and gay rights activist Bayard Rustin (1912–1987). In addition to community groups and elected officials, Rustin’s longtime surviving partner, Walter Naegle, addressed those outside Penn South’s Building 7B — the W. 28th St. building where Bayard lived. The co-op decided that this was a great opportunity to raise the profile of Bayard Rustin and help bring attention to his legacy. “Although Bayard is mostly known for his work in the struggle for African American civil rights, his was a life committed to justice and equality
© CHELSEA NOW 2018 | NYC COMMUNITY MEDIA, LLC, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
for all people,” said Naegle, who choked up as he noted, “He believed in the promises… of our Constitution and thus was compelled to protest the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II, while at the same time sitting-in, leading boycotts, and fighting to end Jim Crow segregation.” During their decade together, Rustin devoted himself to the international human rights struggle, speaking on behalf of Jews persecuted in the Soviet Union, meeting with Lech Walesa, leader of Poland’s Solidarity labor movement, working with Freedom House to promote democratic values, and helping found the National Emergency Coalition for Haitian Refugees. BAYARD RUSTIN continued on p. 2 VOLUME 10, ISSUE 27 | JULY 5 - 11, 2018