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This week's Labor Dispatch was written by Rasean Clayton, our Maricopa County Organizing Specialist. Rasean is a Navy Veteran and President of the A. Philip Randolph Institute, Phoenix Chapter. As a long-time union member, he once served as the Vice President of  CWA Local 7050 and was a member of the District and National Civil Rights and Equity Committee for the Communications Workers of America.

 

As we celebrate the LGBTQ community during Pride Month, we must also commemorate the contributions made by LGBTQ people in the labor movement. I think of an unsung hero, Bayard Rustin. Bayard was one of the most important figures in the African American struggle for civil rights and freedom. He organized the march on Washington and translated to Dr. King the philosophy of non-violence into direct action. But a lot of people don't know his name, largely because he was a gay man. Bayard was open about being gay and believed in being his authentic self and living his truth. Born on May 17, 1912, in West Chester, Pennsylvania, Bayard held many odd jobs and traveled until he attended City College in New York. Rustin was an adversary of racial segregation and a firm believer in pacifist agitation. He worked for the Fellowship of Reconciliation, a nondenominational religious organization. In 1941, Bayard organized the New York branch reformist group Congress on Racial Equality. Bayard conscientiously reduced his public role. He didn't want his sexual orientation to be a distraction from the movement. He was often targeted for being a member of the LGBTQ community and served 50 days in a California jail for being openly gay. Because during that time, being gay was essentially illegal under the moral law. It wouldn't be until 1962 that the law was overturned by the state of Illinois. After he was released, he became an advisor to Dr. Martin Luther King. He was the chief architect of the March on Washington. From 1966 to 1979, he was the President of the A. Philip Randolph Institute. In 1980, Bayard came out as gay, dedicated the remainder of his life to fighting for gay rights, and was instrumental in raising awareness about the AIDS crisis. On August 24, 1987, Bayard Rustin passed away. In 2013, fifty years after the March on Washington, President Barack Obama posthumously awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Praising Rustin’s true march towards equality, no matter who we are or who we love.

 

"We need in every community, a group of angelic troublemakers."

-Bayard Rustin

 

UPCOMING EVENTS & ACTIONS

 

OPINION

 

NATIONAL NEWS

 

LOCAL NEWS

Coffee and Chat with Arizona Republic Guild 

 

Congressman Ruben Gallego Roundtable on the Lower Drug Costs for Families Act 

 

Pride Month

 

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