This 1986 lobbying campaign highlights Bayard Rustin’s efforts to defend New York City’s newly enacted protections against discrimination based on sexual orientation. Through letters to Mayor Koch and city councilmembers, Rustin urged officials to reject amendments that would weaken the law and create loopholes in its enforcement. Drawing on decades of civil rights experience, he argued that equal protection under the law must be preserved for all groups and warned against procedural tactics that could undermine civil rights progress.
The Negro and the Unions
In this column, Bayard Rustin argues that organized labor has been a powerful force in reducing poverty and advancing economic opportunity for Black Americans. Highlighting apprenticeship and job-training programs that opened skilled trades to Black and Puerto Rican workers, he emphasizes the importance of union cooperation, preparation, and sustained access to employment in advancing racial and economic justice.
