*Please note: The exact date of this photograph is unknown.
Bayard Rustin is pictured in conversation with Golda Meir, Prime Minister of Israel, during his 1976 visit to Israel. The image captures a cordial exchange between two internationally prominent leaders, reflecting Rustin’s expanding role as a global advocate for human rights, democracy, and peace.
In 1976, Rustin traveled to Israel as part of his ongoing work to promote international human rights, strengthen ties between Black American activists and global democratic movements, and support Soviet Jewry’s struggle for emigration and religious freedom. This meeting is historically significant because it underscores Rustin’s transition from national civil rights leadership to international human rights diplomacy in the post–civil rights era. By engaging with Golda Meir, Rustin publicly affirmed his solidarity with Jewish self-determination, the importance of democracy in the Middle East, and the interconnectedness of freedom struggles worldwide.
Advocate.com Editors. 2023. “Bayard Rustin’s Life and Civil Rights Legacy in Photos.” Advocate.Com, November 17, 2023. https://www.advocate.com/slideshow/2019/1/21/bayard-rustins-life-and-civil-rights-legacy-photos#rebelltitem3.
