Bayard Rustin's landmark essay "From Protest to Politics," originally published in Commentary magazine and reprinted as a pamphlet by the League for Industrial Democracy, advocating for the civil rights movement's strategic transformation from direct action protests to coalition-based electoral politics and economic reform programs.
Written in the wake of the 1964 Civil Rights Act and the March on Washington's success, Rustin's essay argued that the movement had dismantled legal segregation but now faced deeper systemic challenges—unemployment, housing discrimination, educational inequities—that required political solutions rather than moral appeals. His call for a labor-liberal-religious coalition sparked fierce debate within the movement, as younger activists embraced Black Power while Rustin insisted that lasting change demanded working within existing democratic institutions and partnering with white allies to achieve economic justice for all Americans.
Downloadable PDF.
Rustin, Bayard. "From Protest to Politics: The Future of the Civil Rights Movement." Commentary, February 1965. Reprinted by League for Industrial Democracy. New York: League for Industrial Democracy, 1965.
