Jewish Telegraphic Agency obituary coverage documenting the extensive mourning within Jewish communities following Bayard Rustin's death, highlighting his lifelong support for Israel, Soviet Jewry movement, Holocaust remembrance, and Black-Jewish coalition building. Features statements from Jewish organizational leaders praising Rustin's advocacy for human rights and his role in fostering intergroup cooperation despite criticism from some Black quarters for his pro-Israel stance.
Nixon Veto Blasted: Labor Leaders Condemn Minimum Wage Bill Veto
Article reporting labor leaders' sharp criticism of President Richard Nixon's veto of a minimum wage increase bill. Bayard Rustin, representing the A. Philip Randolph Institute, strongly condemns the veto as harmful to working poor Americans, describing it as part of a broader pattern of neglect by the Nixon administration towards Black workers and low-income communities. The article captures the urgency and mobilization among civil rights and labor leaders to lobby Congress for an override.
SNCC and CORE Reject Protest Moratorium at New York Strategy Meeting
This report covers a New York gathering of leading civil rights figures—including Bayard Rustin, Roy Wilkins, Whitney Young, James Farmer, and John Lewis—where SNCC and CORE declined to endorse a proposed moratorium on demonstrations until after the upcoming November election, signaling a split over tactics between direct-action proponents and calls for strategic pause.
Bayard Rustin Defies Draft; Goes To Prison
A 1944 article from The Chicago Defender detailing Bayard Rustin’s principled refusal to comply with the World War II military draft based on his conscientious objection rooted in Quaker beliefs and commitment to nonviolence. The article highlights Rustin’s arrest and incarceration, his defense of civil liberties, and his rejection of both war and racial injustice. This early act of resistance marked the beginning of Rustin’s lifelong dedication to pacifism and civil rights activism, showcasing his courage during a period when draft evasion was heavily stigmatized and punished.
