National Black Justice Coalition Calls for United States Postal Service to Issue Black Heritage Stamp for Civil Rights Leader Bayard Rustin
CONTACT: Jordan Wilhelmi | jordan@unbendablemedia.com
Black LGBTQ+ Group, Allies Renew Campaign to Recognize Civil Rights Architect Upon Release of Netflix Film ‘Rustin’
WASHINGTON – Today, the National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC), a leading national Black LGBTQ+/Same-gender loving (SGL) civil rights organization, sent a letter, signed by fellow LGBTQ+, racial, gender, religious, and social justice allies representing over 3.5 million members and supporters nationwide to the United States Postal Service renewing their call for civil rights icon Bayard Rustin to be honored with a Black Heritage Stamp to be unveiled during Black History Month 2024.
Bayard Rustin was a prominent civil rights activist, organizer, and strategist, best known for his pivotal role in producing the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech ahead of codification of critical civil rights legislation. As a same-gender loving man, Rustin faced discrimination within the civil rights movement and from outside of the community but remained committed to the fight for racial equality and social justice. His tireless advocacy for nonviolent civil disobedience as an essential organizing tactic has shaped organizing and advocacy strategies for generations. His dedication to the principles of racially inclusive equality continues to inspire activists and advocates to this day.
In the letter to Postmaster Louis DeJoy, Dr. David J. Johns, executive director of NBJC, expanded upon Rustin’s story and his enduring impact on the Black & LGBTQ+ communities:
“Because of his identity as an openly same-gender loving man, he has been denied the recognition he deserves. Sadly, too few know about the life and legacy of Bayard. Those familiar with the March are largely unaware of how much more he did to defend democratic principles in the United States and abroad.
Issuing a Bayard Rustin Black Heritage Stamp of Rustin will raise public awareness of his work and redress his exclusion from the Civil Rights Pioneers and Black Heritage series, which honors leaders Rustin mentored and platformed. For instance, Rustin taught and advised Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who has two different Forever Stamps honoring his life and legacy. Rustin organized and led the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Justice, which has a Forever Stamp in its honor. Forever Stamps have been issued that honor the lives and legacies of several of Rustin’s mentees and colleagues, including U.S. Rep. John Lewis, Ella Baker, Roy Wilkins, and Whitney Moore Young, Jr. Yet, thirty-six years after his passing, Rustin has not received one to honor his tremendous sacrifices to keep the momentum of the civil rights movement moving. This erasure must be remedied to ensure that homophobia no longer prevents Rustin from being recognized as the icon of the civil rights movement he is.”
To learn more about Bayard Rustin, NBJC hosts an online biography project called “Been Here,” which tells the story of Black LGBTQ+/SGL changemakers.
On Friday, November 3rd, Netflix will release Rustin, a major motion picture produced by Barack and Michelle Obama’s production company Higher Ground and starring Colman Domingo and Chris Rock.
Dr. Johns recently hosted an early screening of the film and is available to discuss the legacy of Bayard Rustin, the legacy of Black queer, trans, and gender-expansive leaders, and the importance of recognizing his life and work as part of the Black Heritage Stamp series.