The New York Times announcement details the upcoming honor dinner for Bayard Rustin at the New York Hilton, featuring prominent civil rights and labor leaders as chairmen including A. Philip Randolph, Rev. Theodore Hesburgh, George Meany, and Roy Wilkins. The $100-per-ticket fundraiser aimed to raise $200,000 for the A. Philip Randolph Institute.
The 1970 dinner represented a high-water mark of recognition for Rustin's behind-the-scenes leadership and his successful coalition-building between civil rights and labor movements. The prestigious guest list—including Supreme Court Justice Arthur Goldberg, opera singer Leontyne Price, and labor leaders like Albert Shanker—demonstrated Rustin's broad influence across multiple sectors of American society during a period when the civil rights movement was evolving toward economic justice advocacy.
“Bayard Rustin to Be Honored at Hilton Dec. 14.” 1970. TimesMachine. December 5, 1970. https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1970/12/05/355167032.html?pageNumber=24.
