The Unsung Hero of the Civil Rights Movement: Bayard Rustin’s Impact and Legacy

War II and was taking a moonshot. In an era where men like Rustin were thrown into prison, beaten and marginalized for believing in social justice, they nonetheless embraced the spirit of a country that was leading the fight for democratic values and human rights. Rustin and other civil rights leaders played a role in creating what became known as the American Century. Their achievements include the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 — laws that laid the scaffold for an inclusive democracy. They also changed the political climate in the United States so much that every subsequent civil rights movement, from women’s rights to LGBTQ rights, owes a debt to the civil rights movement of the mid-20th century. And they passed on their optimism and passion to one of us, to the people who inherit their era in America. However, Rustin’s legacy is not just a historical artifact. It’s also relevant to the present, and our future. It’s a reminder of how social change takes place and what it takes to lead a cause that most people find unpopular or dangerous. It also reveals the obstacles and triumphs that can come with leading such a cause. Rustin’s genius, captured in the film released today, is a lesson in that kind of inspirational leadership. And it comes at a time when Americans need to remember that lesson most: Amid a pandemic that’s divided our country, and ongoing movements that call for the values and ideals that Rustin and others from his era stood for — equality, justice, and democracy.