Ep. 47 - RUSTIN: Unveiling Untold Stories, Reclaiming Hidden History
Colman Domingo as Bayard Rustin in RUSTIN Photo: Netflix
“I was raised in the South, and went to public schools. The chance of me learning about Bayard Rustin was zero to zero."
Robert Raben, founder, The March On Washington Film Festival
In Episode 47 we’re talking about the biopic RUSTIN with Robert Raben, founder of the March On Washington Film Festival and The Raben Group, a national public affairs and strategic communications firm in Washington, DC.
The film RUSTIN shines a long overdue spotlight on Bayard Rustin, the extraordinary man who, alongside giants like the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Adam Clayton Powell Jr., and Ella Baker, dared to imagine a different world, and inspired a movement for freedom.
We also talk with Robert Raben about...
Untold and Mis-told Stories
Narrative film and social change
American changemakers and revolutionary heroes (of social justice)
Bayard Rustin, LGBTQ identity and social change
...and more
Guest: Robert Raben
Robert Raben along with other passionate minds and hearts, created the March on Washington Film Festival in 2013, the 50th anniversary year of the historical March On Washington event. The festival serves as a platform for telling stories of everyday activism, to honor people like Bayard Rustin who have paved the way, and to better understand how these stories connect to our future.
A native of Miami, Florida, Robert Raben began his legislative career as a member of Massachusetts Representative Barney Frank’s staff. In 1999 he was appointed by the White House as Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General and, subsequently, Assistant Attorney General, Office of Legislative Affairs.
In 2002 Robert created the Raben Group, a national public affairs and strategic communications firm committed to making connections, solving problems, and inspiring change across the corporate, nonprofit, foundation, and government sectors.
Nearly 30 years of professional experience as an attorney, senior Hill staffer, and Assistant Attorney General have given Robert a nuanced understanding of both the legal subtleties and the political realities of the issues he handles.
Connect with Robert Raben: Threads | X/formerly Twitter | Facebook
SHOP THE PODCAST
Bayard Rustin: A Legacy of Protest and Politics edited by Michael G. Long is available in our affiliate bookstore on bookshop[dot]org.
With expansive, searching, and sometimes critical essays from a range of esteemed writers--including Rustin's own partner, Walter Naegle--this volume draws a full picture of Bayard Rustin: a gay, pacifist, socialist political radical who changed the course of US history and set a precedent for future civil rights activism, from LGBTQ+ Pride to Black Lives Matter. (Source: Bookshop.org)
Shop MORE book titles related to this and past podcasts on the MBGLtd affiliate page on bookshop.org. Your book purchases support production of the Historical Drama with The Boston Sisters podcast with a small commission and independent booksellers.
RUSTIN
Directed by George C. Wolfe, RUSTIN tells the story of activist and organizer Bayard Rustin, the architect of 1963’s momentous March on Washington. Bayard Rustin challenged authority, never apologized for who he was, what he believed, or whom he desired. He clashed with his contemporaries and inner circle leaders of the civil rights movement, and energized youth to get involved in making change in America.
Bayard Rustin believed in building a larger community. Not ony was he an activist, but a vocal music artist, peformed with a vocal quartet, appeared on Broadway with Paul Robeson, and recorded Elizabethan songs with Negro Spirituals. In George C. Wolfe’s words, “Black-queer-Quaker Bayard Taylor Rustin is to my mind, the ultimate American.”
Bayard Rustin made history, and in turn, he was forgotten. Bayard Rustin was born in 1912 in West Chester Pennsylvania. He died in 1987. On November 20, 2013 (50 years after the March On Washington), Bayard Rustin received the Presidential Medal of Freedom posthumously from President Barack Obama.
“So, for decades, this great leader, often at Dr. King’s side, was denied his rightful place in history because he was openly gay. No medal can change that, but today, we honor Bayard Rustin’s memory by taking our place in his march towards true equality, no matter who we are or who we love.”
Barack and Michelle Obama are executive producers of the RUSTIN film for their Higher Ground Productions.
Bayard Rustin is portrayed by Academy Award™ nominee Colman Domingo, alongside an all-star cast including Chris Rock as Roy Wilkins, Glynn Turman as A. Philip Randolph, Aml Ameen as Martin Luther King Jr., CCH Pounder as Dr. Anna Hedgeman, Academy Award™ nominee Da’Vine Joy Randolph (THE HOLDOVERS) as Mahalia Jackson, Michael Potts as Cleveland Robinson, Bill Irwin as A.J. Muste, Academy Award™ nominee Jeffrey Wright (AMERICAN FICTION) as Adam Clayton Powell, Jr., and Audra McDonald (THE GILDED AGE) as Ella Baker.
RUSTIN is available on Netflix.
The March On Washington Film Festival
The March on Washington Film Festival (MOWFF) finds, encourages, and brings to life stories of both icons and foot soldiers from the Civil Rights Movement. Find out more about the MOWFF in the video below and visit the website for the festival schedule, and activities and events throughout the year.