This confidential 1980 correspondence highlights Bayard Rustin’s decision to decline an honorary degree from Yeshiva University on principle. Citing the university’s legal challenge to faculty union rights, Rustin argues that accepting the honor would conflict with his lifelong commitment to organized labor. The exchange reflects his willingness to place deeply held values above personal recognition.
Empowering Low-Income Workers Through Collective Bargaining
This column examines a major United Federation of Teachers contract that significantly improved wages, benefits, and career opportunities for thousands of predominantly Black and Puerto Rican school paraprofessionals in New York City. Rustin presents the agreement as an example of how collective bargaining and worker organization can create meaningful economic advancement and challenge poverty through self-determination.
