On today's show, we take a look at the life and legacy of a central organizer of the 1963 March on Washington, Bayard Rustin. Rustin was an openly gay civil rights leader and a trusted advisor to labor leader A. Phillip Randolph and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. This show first aired in June 2021.

Special Thank You to Nancy Kates and Bennett Singer the producers/directors of Brother Outsider: The Life of Bayard Rustin and Sam Pollard, the executive director. And to the Pacifica Radio Archives for use of the Bayard Rustin archival materials.

Featuring:

Bayard Rustin – the architect of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom
Ashon Crawley – University of Virginia Associate Professor of Religious Studies and African-American and African Studies
Nancy Kates – filmmaker and producer of Brother Outsider: The Life of Bayard Rustin
Bill Sutherland – Fellowship of Reconciliation
Reverend A.J. Muste – pacifist and mentor of Rustin
George Houser – Fellowship of Reconciliation
Louis John – nephew of Bayard Rustin
Devi Prasad – pacifist

Making Contact Team

Episode host: Anita Johnson
Producers: Anita Johnson, Salima Hamirani, Amy Gastelum, and Lucy Kang
Executive Director: Jina Chung
Engineer: Jeff Emtman
Digital Media Marketing: Lissa Deonarain

Music Credits

Cory Gray – "Medieval Tension"
Ketsa – "This Way Joyous"
Blue Dot Sessions – "Rally"
Blue Dot Sessions – "Rayling"
Dee Yan-Key – "Hold On"
Dee Yan-Key – "Go Down Moses"
Blue Dot Sessions – "3rd Chair"
Andy G. Cohen – "Our Young Guts"

Learn More

Lost Prophet: The Life and Times of Bayard Rustin by John D'Emilio
Bayard Rustin Fund
Troublemaker for Justice: The Story of Bayard Rustin, the Man Behind the March on Washington by Jacqueline Houtman, Michael G. Long, Walter Naegle
I Must Resist: Bayard Rustin's Life in Letters by Bayard Rustin, edited by Michael G. Long
Bayard Rustin: Troubles I've Seen
Martin Luther King, Jr. Papers
PBS
History
AFL-CIO
Washington Post
NYTimes

Making Contact is an award-winning, nationally syndicated radio show and podcast featuring narrative storytelling and thought-provoking interviews. We cover the most urgent issues of our time and the people on the ground building a more just world.

Giving Bayard Rustin His Flowers (Encore)