Person · 1912–1987
Bayard Rustin
The brilliant strategist who organized the 1963 March on Washington — and was pushed to the margins because he was gay.
A master strategist of the [[civil-rights-movement]].
A Quaker and pacifist, Bayard Rustin introduced King to Gandhian nonviolence and was the chief organizer of the 1963 March on Washington, pulling off the largest demonstration the capital had ever seen in just two months.
Because he was openly gay in an era of fierce prejudice, he was often kept in the background. He is now recognized as one of the movement's indispensable architects.