This 1985 strategic brief finds Bayard Rustin making the case for extending New York City’s human rights protections to include sexual orientation. He argues that the proposal grants no special privileges, but simply ensures equal protection against discrimination in housing and employment. Rustin also addresses common objections to the legislation, highlighting the broad coalition of religious and civic organizations that supported the measure as a matter of fairness and civil rights.
First Steps in Working for Racial Justice: An Individual Blueprint
This instructional guide by Bayard Rustin and Davis Platt emphasizes education, civic engagement, and personal responsibility as foundations for social change. Rustin encourages individuals to study injustice, challenge segregation in local institutions, and organize pressure on lawmakers and communities. The document presents everyday citizens as essential participants in the long-term work of dismantling racism and building a more just society.
