Bayard Rustin
Bloomstein, Charles
I was privileged to be Bayard's friend for over forty-five years and a colleague for the past twenty-three. I would like to try to give some sense of what made Bayard—not his activities, not his...
...Bayard was born illegitimate, black, in modest circumstances...
...I witnessed many occasions when younger people came up to Bayard and told him how he had affected their lives...
...I would like to try to give some sense of what made Bayard—not his activities, not his achievements, not his politics —these have all been covered at length in the media, especially since his sudden death...
...These values were reinforced by men he was able to meet and/or work with, most notably Mahatma Gandhi and A. Philip Randolph...
...CHARLES BLOOMSTEIN WINTER • 1988 • 115...
...That compassion, that capacity for empathy, that ability to show love and affection to those close to him, were hallmarks of his personality, and, I believe, a foundation of his greatness...
...Furthermore, Bayard was a leader and knew that his responsibility was to open new paths and help shape the popular view, not to accede to it unless he believed it was correct...
...To that must be added that he was a magnificent public speaker...
...How come...
...At the memorial service someone remarked that Bayard's death marked the end of an era— meaning that he was the last of the great civil rights leaders of the 1960s...
...So Bayard never hesitated to espouse causes he knew would not sit well with his colleagues, or the public...
...Nor could he pass a beggar without giving him a coin...
...Randolph...
...He became a communist in the 1930s, then renounced that for pacifism and democratic socialism, was a homosexual, and was imprisoned (the first time of many) for refusing to register for the draft in World War II...
...What made Bayard the uniquely effective person who earned that acclaim was his ability to combine those values with his native talents and use them vividly in thought and action...
...His presence made the difference...
...We had Gene Debs, Norman Thomas (Bayard and I also had his brother, Evan), Roger Baldwin, A.J...
...He was well-versed in history, especially black and American history, and could use that knowledge to good advantage in discussion and debate...
...He saw each as a person...
...He blended his special abilities as an organizer in command of every detail with his intellectual strengths as an analyst, strategist, and tactician...
...Those of us in Bayard's generation who wanted to work for a better society had American heroes who were our role models and who influenced our outlook, our actions, and our choices of careers...
...In my opinion, his essential qualities, the sources that fueled his activities, were his love of life and his compassion and ability to empathize with every individual suffering human being...
...He gave great energy to the struggle against apartheid and to the cause of refugees, whether from Afghanistan or Cambodia, from El Salvador or Chile...
...He felt that same compassion for the homeless here in New York, never ceasing to be outraged by a society that permitted such a condition...
...Both left indelible imprints...
...Muste, Max Shachtman, and, of course, Mr...
...For Bayard was that rare combination, thinker and activist...
...These men influenced our view of the world...
...114 • DISSENT He had a fine tenor voice, a great sense of and appreciation for the theater, and a sound knowledge of music, primarily classical...
...Bayard's Quaker grandmother was clearly a dominant influence on him...
...That may be, but I believe that another era has also ended...
...An active leader of the NAACP, she instilled in him certain values and convictions—pacifism, integrity, commitment to what one believes to be true, and the certainty that every human being is worthy of respect and dignity...
...He never earned an undergraduate degree...
...Who is now left to serve that function...
...Despite this history, he was awarded more than a dozen honorary doctorates, including a number from our most prestigious universities, and received many honors from many organizations...
...He was superb in meetings and would almost inevitably come up with the resolution that struck everyone as clear, precise, apt, and workable...
Vol. 35 • January 1988 • No. 1
