1 00:00:01,639 --> 00:00:04,800 Speaker 1: Welcome to this day and History class, where history waits 2 00:00:04,960 --> 00:00:18,319 Speaker 1: for no one. Today is March seventeen, nineteen. The day 3 00:00:18,480 --> 00:00:24,080 Speaker 1: was March seventeenth, nineteen twelve. Bired Taylor Rustin was born 4 00:00:24,160 --> 00:00:28,200 Speaker 1: on this day in Westchester, Pennsylvania, to a mother named 5 00:00:28,240 --> 00:00:33,479 Speaker 1: Florence and a father named Archie Hopkins. As a young student, 6 00:00:33,840 --> 00:00:38,159 Speaker 1: Byed performed extremely well in school and sports, and in 7 00:00:38,240 --> 00:00:42,040 Speaker 1: high school and college he became more socially and politically active. 8 00:00:43,120 --> 00:00:46,000 Speaker 1: Throughout the rest of his life, Byed would advocate for 9 00:00:46,080 --> 00:00:49,760 Speaker 1: peace and civil rights. He co founded the Congress of 10 00:00:49,880 --> 00:00:54,880 Speaker 1: Racial Equality, advocated for black workers rights, helped organize the 11 00:00:54,960 --> 00:00:58,400 Speaker 1: March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, and was the 12 00:00:58,480 --> 00:01:01,520 Speaker 1: first executive director of the a f l c i 13 00:01:01,600 --> 00:01:07,800 Speaker 1: OS A Philip Randolph Institute. His contributions to pacifism, civil 14 00:01:07,880 --> 00:01:12,560 Speaker 1: rights activism, the labor movement, and other social movements are invaluable, 15 00:01:12,840 --> 00:01:17,679 Speaker 1: but his career did have both ups and downs. It 16 00:01:17,800 --> 00:01:21,200 Speaker 1: was clear from Buyer's early years that activism would be 17 00:01:21,240 --> 00:01:25,080 Speaker 1: a big part of his life. His grandmother, Julia Rustin, 18 00:01:25,560 --> 00:01:28,480 Speaker 1: was active in the community, and his roots as a 19 00:01:28,520 --> 00:01:32,959 Speaker 1: Quaker and in the African Methodist Episcopal Church greatly influenced 20 00:01:33,000 --> 00:01:38,800 Speaker 1: his views on non violence, equality and community. Institutions in 21 00:01:38,880 --> 00:01:43,120 Speaker 1: Westchester were segregated, as was standard at this time, and 22 00:01:43,160 --> 00:01:47,480 Speaker 1: there are several instances that showed Buyer's penchant for protests. 23 00:01:49,160 --> 00:01:52,680 Speaker 1: On one school road trip, he insisted that black players 24 00:01:52,760 --> 00:01:56,040 Speaker 1: be housed in the same hotel as white players, and 25 00:01:56,160 --> 00:01:58,840 Speaker 1: he was arrested for sitting in the whites only section 26 00:01:59,280 --> 00:02:03,480 Speaker 1: of a movie theater. Ruston attended some college and was 27 00:02:03,520 --> 00:02:06,960 Speaker 1: active in the Youth Communist League for a while, advocating 28 00:02:07,000 --> 00:02:11,120 Speaker 1: for equal rights and economic opportunity, but he left the 29 00:02:11,240 --> 00:02:15,960 Speaker 1: organization once his missions no longer aligned with his. But 30 00:02:16,120 --> 00:02:20,480 Speaker 1: after college is when his activism really started to gain momentum. 31 00:02:20,520 --> 00:02:24,359 Speaker 1: In nineteen forty one, he joined the Fellowship of Reconciliation, 32 00:02:24,840 --> 00:02:29,639 Speaker 1: a pacifist organization led by A. J. Musty. On an 33 00:02:29,639 --> 00:02:32,840 Speaker 1: interstate trip on a segregated bus in nineteen forty two, 34 00:02:33,240 --> 00:02:36,080 Speaker 1: fired set in the white section and refused to move, 35 00:02:36,560 --> 00:02:41,280 Speaker 1: an action that police officers beat him for. He was 36 00:02:41,320 --> 00:02:45,480 Speaker 1: firmly against World War Two and conscription, and he was 37 00:02:45,520 --> 00:02:49,840 Speaker 1: imprisoned for being a conscientious objector and refusing to register 38 00:02:49,960 --> 00:02:54,400 Speaker 1: for the draft. In nineteen forty four, he spent twenty 39 00:02:54,440 --> 00:02:57,920 Speaker 1: eight months in prison, during which time he protested for 40 00:02:58,000 --> 00:03:02,440 Speaker 1: integration within the prison and based a sexual misconduct investigation. 41 00:03:04,000 --> 00:03:07,720 Speaker 1: Bired was openly gay, which affected the way some people 42 00:03:07,800 --> 00:03:11,240 Speaker 1: viewed him and led to some social and legal persecution. 43 00:03:12,520 --> 00:03:16,119 Speaker 1: After A J. Musti tided him for letting his sexuality 44 00:03:16,160 --> 00:03:19,680 Speaker 1: get in the way of his social advocacy, Fired ended 45 00:03:19,720 --> 00:03:23,080 Speaker 1: up resigning from his post as the field secretary of 46 00:03:23,120 --> 00:03:28,600 Speaker 1: the Fellowship of Reconciliation. Later in nineteen fifty three, he 47 00:03:28,800 --> 00:03:31,840 Speaker 1: and two other men were arrested on charges of lewd 48 00:03:32,000 --> 00:03:36,920 Speaker 1: vagrancy and sent to prison. Because of the charge, Rustin 49 00:03:37,040 --> 00:03:41,600 Speaker 1: became a convicted sex offender. As this news spread throughout 50 00:03:41,640 --> 00:03:45,560 Speaker 1: his community of friends and fellow activists, people began to 51 00:03:45,680 --> 00:03:49,160 Speaker 1: distance themselves from him, and it became harder for him 52 00:03:49,160 --> 00:03:53,400 Speaker 1: to work on the front lines of social movements. Still, 53 00:03:53,760 --> 00:03:58,360 Speaker 1: Bired was politically and socially active throughout his lifetime. He 54 00:03:58,480 --> 00:04:01,640 Speaker 1: spent months in India stud in Gandhi's movement of non 55 00:04:01,760 --> 00:04:06,320 Speaker 1: violent resistance and speaking to civil rights leaders, and he 56 00:04:06,400 --> 00:04:12,440 Speaker 1: connected with activists in countries in Africa resisting British colonialism. 57 00:04:12,480 --> 00:04:16,200 Speaker 1: In nineteen forty seven, he protested bus segregation by taking 58 00:04:16,240 --> 00:04:20,080 Speaker 1: part in the journey of reconciliation. He worked with the 59 00:04:20,200 --> 00:04:24,159 Speaker 1: labor and civil rights movement leader A. Philip Randolph on 60 00:04:24,200 --> 00:04:29,039 Speaker 1: the Committee Against Discrimination and the Armed Forces. He continued 61 00:04:29,120 --> 00:04:33,400 Speaker 1: his anti war and pacifist activism and Bired famously did 62 00:04:33,440 --> 00:04:36,039 Speaker 1: a lot of organizing work for the civil rights movement. 63 00:04:37,080 --> 00:04:40,680 Speaker 1: He worked in Montgomery on the bus boycotts, organizing acts 64 00:04:40,720 --> 00:04:43,520 Speaker 1: of non violent resistance, and working out some of the 65 00:04:43,560 --> 00:04:47,640 Speaker 1: finer points of planning a protest. He helped Martin Luther 66 00:04:47,760 --> 00:04:53,120 Speaker 1: King Jr. Organized the Southern Christian Leadership Conference Byired even 67 00:04:53,120 --> 00:04:56,440 Speaker 1: helped plan the March on Washington, landing a cover of 68 00:04:56,480 --> 00:05:01,200 Speaker 1: Life magazine with A. Philip Randolph soon after. In nineteen 69 00:05:01,279 --> 00:05:05,320 Speaker 1: sixty five, he and A. Philip Randolph formed the A. 70 00:05:05,560 --> 00:05:11,359 Speaker 1: Philip Randolph Institute, which fought for racial justice, jobs, and freedom. 71 00:05:11,400 --> 00:05:15,039 Speaker 1: But as some civil rights activists began to criticize his 72 00:05:15,160 --> 00:05:20,200 Speaker 1: moderate stances and cooperation with politicians, Fired turned to more 73 00:05:20,240 --> 00:05:25,919 Speaker 1: international issues like refugee advocacy. In the later years of 74 00:05:25,960 --> 00:05:30,320 Speaker 1: his life, Rustin participated in the gay rights movement. He 75 00:05:30,440 --> 00:05:34,760 Speaker 1: died in nineteen eighties seven of a misdiagnosed perforated appendix. 76 00:05:36,160 --> 00:05:41,599 Speaker 1: Fired was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom and I'm 77 00:05:41,600 --> 00:05:44,360 Speaker 1: Eve Jeff Cope and hopefully you know a little more 78 00:05:44,400 --> 00:05:49,080 Speaker 1: about history today than you did yesterday. If you want 79 00:05:49,160 --> 00:05:51,720 Speaker 1: to know more about buy it Rustin's life, you can 80 00:05:51,760 --> 00:05:54,080 Speaker 1: listen to the two part episode of Stuff You Missed 81 00:05:54,080 --> 00:05:57,200 Speaker 1: in History Class, the first one called by it Rustin 82 00:05:57,480 --> 00:06:01,080 Speaker 1: Angelic Troublemaker and the second one called by it Rustin 83 00:06:01,160 --> 00:06:05,200 Speaker 1: and a Civil Rights Movement. We love it if you 84 00:06:05,360 --> 00:06:09,440 Speaker 1: left us a comment on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook. At 85 00:06:09,600 --> 00:06:15,160 Speaker 1: t d i h C podcast, come back tomorrow for 86 00:06:15,279 --> 00:06:23,480 Speaker 1: another tidbt from History.