Bayard Rustin's letter to University of Maryland’s Director Donald A. Deppe regarding his principled refusal to sign Maryland's Ober Act loyalty oath when invited to speak at the University of Maryland Law Enforcement Institute.
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.
Bayard Rustin and A. Philip Randolph at the Alabama State Capitol, Montgomery, 1965
Rustin and Randolph are present at the culmination of the Selma to Montgomery Marches, joining fellow movement leaders and supporters on the steps of the Alabama State Capitol to bear witness to speeches demanding full voting rights for African Americans. Their participation at this moment signified solidarity, strategic leadership, and the unwavering commitment required to challenge entrenched oppression in the Deep South.
