Bayard Rustin is pictured at the A. Philip Randolph Institute in 1972, sitting beside African sculptures and artwork that reflect his international perspective and appreciation for cultural heritage. The environment demonstrates Rustin’s deep engagement with both labor organizing and the broader social movements of the era, as well as personal interests in global art and history.
Black Power and the Perils of Isolation: Rustin’s Case for Coalition Politics
Bayard Rustin’s influential pamphlet “Black Power and Coalition Politics,” distributed by the A. Philip Randolph Institute, critiques the rising nationalist slogan “black power” and argues that sustainable social change requires interracial coalitions with labor, liberals, and religious groups to secure economic and political reforms rather than separatist withdrawal or violent confrontation.
Bayard Rustin at Walter Reuther Press Conference, March 1965
From Protest to Politics: Rustin's Blueprint for Political Power
Bayard Rustin's landmark essay "From Protest to Politics," originally published in Commentary magazine and reprinted as a pamphlet by the League for Industrial Democracy, advocating for the civil rights movement's strategic transformation from direct action protests to coalition-based electoral politics and economic reform programs.
