Bayard Rustin warned bluntly that rising antisemitism in Black communities was both morally wrong and politically self-destructive, threatening to collapse the very coalitions that had advanced civil rights. He urged Black leaders to confront the issue directly, reminding readers of the long history of Jewish legal, political, and abolitionist support for Black freedom.
1947 Bayard Rustin’s Hotel Lobby Sit-In Challenging Northern Racial Discrimination
In 1947, Bayard Rustin staged a successful all-night sit-in protest in the lobby of the Hamline Hotel in St. Paul Minnesota, after being denied access to a reserved room due to his race. Joined by NAACP leaders and white allies, Rustin's non violence demonstration challenged segregationist practices in a Northern city and exemplified early direct action tactics that influence later civil rights protests.
