Rustin,” starring Colman Domingo and directed by George C. Wolfe launches November 17th on Netflix.
“Rustin” spotlights the man who, alongside Martin Luther King Jr., dared to imagine a different world and inspired a movement.
UB has an extended preview of the film, “Brainstorm” and “Refusing to Resign.”
The architect of 1963’s momentous March on Washington, Bayard Rustin was one of the greatest activists and organizers the world has ever known.
He challenged authority, never apologized for who he was, what he believed, or who he desired. And he did not back down. He made history, and in turn, he was forgotten.
In our UB Spotlight, Colman Domingo shared why he thinks the time is now for this film; “I think the time has been coming for a very long time to make this movie. To take Bayard Rustin out of the shadows of American history, and to look at his profound impact on so much when it comes to our culture and our politics and our policies and our activism.” Colman continued; “He believed in the promise of America, he believed in the principles that were laid out and he just wanted the country to actually put them into practice. I think we’re ready for Bayard Rustin’s story because the LGBTQIA+ community has been marginalized for so long and our stories are coming to the light as we have stepped out of the darkness and demanded that you see us for exactly who we are — and see all of us.”
George C. Wolfe shared if he felt if Bayard Rustin was marginalized out of history due to being gay; “I just think is really fascinating, of the story is that in addition to Bayard’s’ journey, you’re also seeing on a certain level, the journey of Martin Luther King from a human being to an icon. By the time that speech is over, he’s an icon. That speech, hundreds of people spoke that day. But after that monumental speech, one of the greatest speeches in the history of American language, elocution, and storytelling, he became this iconic figure.” He continued; “That’s another thing that I think that is what people miss about history is it’s very easy to focus on one person. So Rustin’s gayness was definitely a part of it, but it was also the ascendancy of this phenomenal human being, which was Martin Luther King. Frequently when somebody ascends, historians find it’s much easier to focus just on the one instead of the totality. Or focus on the person who does a lot of the hard rigorous work, which is not to say that King didn’t, but that’s part of it as well. Also, the desire to sanitize is interesting, because anything involving people is not precise or simple. It’s complicated. Sometimes if we don’t know how to sanitize, we eliminate.”
Born in 1912, Bayard Rustin was a visionary civil rights activist who was a close advisor to the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. A staunch proponent of non-violent protest, in part due to his Quaker upbringing, Rustin was the driving force behind organizing the historic March on Washington in 1963.
He worked with a number of groups through the years including serving as president of the A. Philip Randolph Institute, a civil rights organization in New York City, from 1966 to 1979. Of Rustin, King wrote to a colleague: “We are thoroughly committed to the method of nonviolence in our struggle and we are convinced that Bayard’s expertness and commitment in this area will be of inestimable value.”
Later in life Rustin turned his attention to LGBTQ+ activism and its intersection with the continuing civil rights fight, and was the first to bring the AIDS crisis to the attention of the NAACP. He passed away in 1987.
Because he was a gay man who was forced to live with the constraints and prejudices of the time— including beatings and arrests—his role in the movement was not widely publicized and thus the true significance of his contribution has been muted. He received recognition in 2013 when he was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Obama.
Produced by Academy Award winner Bruce Cohen, Higher Ground’s Tonia Davis and George C. Wolfe, the film features an all-star cast including Chris Rock, Glynn Turman, Aml Ameen, Gus Halper, CCH Pounder, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Johnny Ramey, Michael Potts, with Jeffrey Wright and Audra McDonald.
Check Out The UB Extended Preview of “Rustin!”
UB Spotlight: Colman Domingo + George C. Wolfe Talk ‘Rustin’
