RUSTIN CELEBRATES THE ORGANIZERS OF THE MARCH ON WASHINGTON
A biopic of Bayard Rustin (played by Colman Domingo), the film Rustin reveals that the March on Washington of August 28, 1963, was a goal he sought since 1941. He was frustrated that nothing much happened in Congress after the 1954 Supreme Court ruling that schools must desegregate, and he felt that a large mobilization was needed to impress Congress to pass major civil rights legislation. But persuading other civil rights leaders was a major obstacle that he had to overcome. He proposed a rally at the Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles during 1960 but met opposition. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the largest civil rights organization, was content to rely on litigation. But he persisted and ultimately persuaded Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. (Aml Ameen).
Directed by George C. Wolfe, the film provides information about Rustin’s background, mostly by references to his past scattered throughout the film. Raised by Quaker grandparents near Philadelphia, he sponsored the idea of Gandhian nonviolent protest that later defined the civil rights movement. He felt that he was born gay, was arrested for “lewd acts” in 1953, and was in an intermittent relationship with Tom (Gus Halper), a White male who backed his causes. At one point he joined the Communist Party but later renounced membership. His frustration over Jim Crow came to the fore one day when he tried to desegregate a Louisville bus in 1942, whereupon he was removed from the vehicle, bludgeoned, and he then set about planning what became the Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955, freedom rides, and many other civil rights causes too numerous to cite in the film. He tried in vain to activate the NAACP and other groups, though steadfast support consistently came from elderly A. Philip Randolph (Glynn Turman).
After he obtained approval for a major rally, the film demonstrates how he was able to organize a group of supporters to plan each logistical element of the rally, in particular favorable publicity that attracted supporters from southern states who rode chartered buses for hours to reach Washington, DC. He also gained security for the rally from 1,000 Black NYC without their weapons. He also had to overcome negative efforts of the FBI to discredit him personally. The “march” attracted 250,000, more than twice the 100,000 originally sought. At the end of the film, he plays the humble role of groundkeeper, picking up refuse after the rally.
As an account explaining how the March on Washington was conceived and organized, the Political Film Society has nominated Rustin as best film exposé and best film on human rights of 2023. MH