Shirley Chisholm broke barriers by running for Congress, but Baryard Rustin trailblazed behind the scenes. Rustin, the focus of a movie bearing his name, was the organizer of the March on Washington in 1963. It was his premise that the Civil Rights Movement needed to do something dramatic to hold the legislature accountable for passing civil rights legislation — and it also needed to help the Blacks discover they were not alone in their struggle. Rustin believed a peaceful march on the National Mall could accomplish both goals.
Think about the challenge of organizing a national event — before the internet or social media — to bring 100,000 people from across the country to Washington, D.C. — and raise the funds to do so — and pull all this off without the initial support of the NAACP. And this needed to happen in an 8-week window before Congress resumed!
Rustin accomplished what he called “the most improbable yet most essential endeavor” by being a master organizer, volunteer motivator, passionate advocate, and exemplary communicator. For example, all possible providers of transportation were told to call “Michelle Harwood.” There was no Michelle, but it signaled that the call was about transportation and could be immediately transferred to volunteers in that area. Rustin was right there in the trenches with his volunteers, including picking up trash after the event, and setting the example that “the details matter.”
Even though most people thought the goal of 100,000 was an impossible stretch, 250,000 actually attended. Nine months later, the Civil Rights Act was passed. Fifty years after the March, Rustin was awarded a posthumous Presidential Medal of Freedom for his work.
Everyone associates Martin Luther King, Jr. with the March on Washington, but the event would have never happened without Bayard Rustin. Follow his example and make your mark organizing the platform for others.
