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Overview
A biography of Bayard Rustin, a skillful organizer behind the scenes of the American civil rights movement whose ideas stongly influenced Martin Luther King, Jr.A biography of Bayard Rustin, a skillful organizer behind the scenes of the American civil rights movement whose ideas stongly influenced Martin Luther King, Jr.
Editorials
School Library Journal
Gr 8 UpHaskins skillfully blends details of his subject's life and work with descriptions of the civil rights struggle. Rustin's own words complement the portrait of this man who devoted his life to advancing the cause of equal rights for blacks in the U.S. and supporting victims of oppression all over the world. Recalling his early life and the influence of his Quaker grandmother, the book goes on to discuss Rustin's close relationships with A. Philip Randolph and Martin Luther King, Jr., as well as his belief in nonviolent means to affect change. The 1963 March on Washington, which he organized, was not supported by everyone with whom he worked, and he was often seen as more of a liability than as an asset to the movement because of his open homosexuality. Rustin consistently triumphed over his objectors and finally a book is available to attest to his contributions. An insert of fine-quality, black-and-white photos enhances the presentation. A well-written, well-documented biography and an enlightening look at the civil rights movement.Carol Fazioli, Cardinal Hayes Library, Manhattan College, NYKirkus Reviews
A moving and informative biography about an early activist and key player in the civil rights movement. Born in 1912 to an unwed teenager, Rustin was raised by his Quaker grandparents to be a pacifist. Haskins (Louis Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam, p. 1401, etc.) portrays Rustin, whom Senator Strom Thurmond attacked as a "draft dodger, a homosexual, and a Communist," in a sympathetic manner, and recounts how Rustin "had an unparalleled genius for organizing and an unwavering commitment to civil and human rights" throughout his life. That genius for organizing—groups, protests, and marches—from the Journey of Reconciliation in 1947 to the March on Washington in 1963, led to the passage of the Civil Rights Act in 1964. Readers will come away from Haskins's book with an admiration for a man in whose humble origins were the seeds of leadership in the fight for equality and justice.Book Details
Published
February 28, 1997
Publisher
New York : Hyperion Books for Children, c1997.
Pages
128
Format
Hardcover
ISBN
9780786821402