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The speech “Negro Revolution in 1965,” delivered by Bayard Rustin at the Center for Democratic Institutions in the fall of 1964, articulated a crucial vision for the evolving civil rights movement. Rustin framed the movement as both a push for integration into American society and a revolutionary force demanding substantive systemic change. He analyzed the contradictions within existing American institutions and challenged assumptions about what true equality would require, emphasizing that while many African Americans sought inclusion within current frameworks, the existing structures were fundamentally incapable of fulfilling the demands for justice and fairness. Rustin also discussed the importance of coalition-building across racial and ideological lines, stressing the need to engage not only African Americans but also progressive whites, labor, and other groups to achieve lasting social transformation. His address reflected a nuanced understanding of the movement’s challenges and possibilities as it prepared to transition from protest to policy-driven advocacy.

Rustin gave this address at a crucial moment when the civil rights movement was transitioning from mass protest to political engagement. He highlighted the tension between the desire of most African Americans for inclusion within American society ("a slice of the cake") and the systemic changes required to achieve true equality. Rustin urged pragmatic coalition-building, warning against divisiveness and emphasizing the need for broad alliances to tackle poverty, discrimination, and institutional reform. His vision foreshadowed later shifts in movement strategy towards economic justice and electoral politics during the mid-to-late 1960s.

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