Description
Bryan Carter, in a powerful collaboration with Robt Seda-Schreiber, brings the "architect" of the civil rights movement into a new light through the lens of jazz and intentional education. Carter speaks directly to a new generation of musicians about the fundamental nature of Bayard Rustin as a mentor to Dr. King and a leading strategist of non-violence. He unflinchingly names the homophobia that led to Rustin's historical erasure, challenging the students to see Rustin not as a footnote, but as a man whose intersectional identity as a Black, queer, pacifist strategist was the very engine of his brilliance.
Carter and Seda-Schreiber emphasize the profound humility found within Rustin's radicalism, noting that while other leaders sought the spotlight of the White House after the March on Washington, Rustin remained on the Mall to organize the literal cleanup, picking up trash in an act of service to the movement. This exchange illustrates that Rustin's legacy is not just found in the "military precision" of his organizing, but in his refusal to be anything other than his whole self. By weaving these historical truths into a musical suite, Carter ensures that Rustin’s story is no longer a silent one, insisting that the "renaissance" of his ideas requires a commitment to the loud, the queer, and the intersectional roots of justice.
Historical Context
This collaboration represents a modern "renaissance" of Rustin’s philosophy, bridging the gap between his 1940s "Journey of Reconciliation" and the contemporary struggle for LGBTQ+ visibility. By bringing this work to a university setting, the BRCSJ continues Rustin’s tradition of "street corner education," moving his story out of the shadows and into the hands of young people. The partnership underscores that Rustin’s erasure was a deliberate act of mid-century respectability politics; reclaiming his name through the prestige of a Lincoln Center-bound jazz suite is a direct rebuttal to that erasure, asserting that Black queer identity is foundational to American democracy.
Carter, Bryan, and Robt Seda-Schreiber. "Rustin in Renaissance UNT Workshop." Bayard Rustin Center for Social Justice, 2024.
