Rustin

In 1960, activist Bayard Rustin urges Martin Luther King Jr. to take the lead on a high-profile protest before the Democratic National Convention. The move places King at the center of a growing national civil rights push and triggers political scrutiny from rivals. This seed of strategy foreshadows the intra-movement battles over leadership and credibility.

New York Congressman Adam Clayton Powell Jr. and NAACP leader Roy Wilkins threaten to accuse King of a homosexual relationship with Bayard Rustin to undermine his authority. King’s rising popularity complicates the internal power dynamics of the movement. Rustin resigns from the Southern Christian Leadership Conference amid the pressure.

Three years later, Rustin remains alienated from King and much of the movement, but a new generation embraces his commitment to nonviolence. Tom Kahn, his assistant and lover, brings fresh energy and organizes around his vision. The groundwork begins for a large-scale national march.

A. Philip Randolph agrees to help plan the march and Medgar Evers publicly backs it, yet Roy Wilkins still objects to Rustin's leadership. The rift within major civil rights organizations deepens as the plan gains momentum. Rustin's insistence on nonviolence drives the campaign strategy.

Rustin assembles a planning team in a makeshift Harlem office with volunteers like Cleve Robinson and Dr. Anna Hedgeman. The group maps out logistics, fundraising, and messaging while confronting obstacles from officials. The robust grassroots effort signals the march is moving from idea to action.

Rustin visits the National Mall to inspect the site but is blocked from meeting DC officials. He warns King that powerful political enemies are aligned against the project and accepts limits imposed by Wilkins and others. The march is reduced to a single day in response to these pressures.

As fundraising continues, Rustin begins an affair with Elias Taylor, a married organizer and pastor, complicating his partnership with Tom Kahn. The personal entanglements create strain within the planning team even as momentum builds. The organizers press on to secure public support and resources.

Senator Strom Thurmond publicly denounces Rustin as a communist, while Powell tries to force him to step down or discredit him politically. The controversy tests the movement’s unity and resilience. Nevertheless, Randolph and King defend Rustin's leadership and capabilities.

Despite the attacks, Rustin's organizational prowess leads to a planned 100,000-person march in just seven weeks. The effort mobilizes volunteers and funds across the country and reframes the civil rights agenda for a national audience. The campaign makes visible progress even as controversies persist.

Taylor's pregnant wife delivers a strongly worded message that leads to the end of their affair. The personal scandal complicates Rustin’s standing but does not derail the March planning. The episode highlights the pressure of public action and private life within the movement.

Thurmond publicizes Rustin's arrest for homosexual activity in Pasadena from ten years earlier, attempting to discredit him. Randolph and King publicly defend Rustin, emphasizing his contributions and the injustice of the attacks. The personal history becomes a political test for the movement’s unity.

On August 28, 1963, the March on Washington gathers over 200,000 people on the National Mall in front of the Lincoln Memorial. The demonstration culminates with Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech, a defining moment in the civil rights era. Rustin remains with his volunteers, not joining the official march leadership at the White House.

The Civil Rights Act is enacted within months of the march, marking a major legislative victory. Rustin later meets his lifelong partner and receives the Presidential Medal of Freedom, underscoring the enduring impact of his nonviolent strategy. The march cements a lasting framework for civil rights activism in the United States.