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's "The Watts Manifesto and the McCone Report": Dismantling the Lies of Official Inquiry
In this article, Bayard Rustin argued that the McCone Commission misrepresented the Watts uprising by ignoring its political intent and the systemic racism that caused it. He warned that by refusing real reforms, the nation was teaching Black Americans that only violent rebellion could make their voices heard.
Bayard Rustin Speaks before the Senate Government Operations Subcommittee, 1966
Rustin testifies before the Senate Government Operations subcommittee, making his case for robust federal action to address persistent racial and economic inequality. By taking the witness stand, he translates movement experience into policy language, urging lawmakers to prioritize civil rights enforcement, anti-poverty programs, and protections for working Americans.
