new film celebrates the life of bayard rustin, openly gay civil rights game changer

The life of Civil Rights activist Bayard Rustin, a leading strategist for the movement, who planned the March on Washington, is being told in the new film ‘Bayard & Me’. The short film by Matt Wolf, which premiered at Sundance, sheds light on the marginalization of gay activists within the Civil Rights Movement, through the eyes of an interracial gay couple—Rustin and his partner Walter Naegle. The documentary will explore Rustin’s intersectional struggle for justice, on and off the front lines. No release date for ‘Bayard & Me’ has been announced at this time.

Bayard Rustin, left, with Martin Luther King Jr. (Monroe Frederick / Courtesy of the estate of Bayard Rustin)

*Erin White is an Atlanta-based writer and AFROPUNK’s editorial and social media assistant. You can follow her on Tumblr or friend her on Facebook. Have a pitch or an inquiry? Shoot her an email at erin@afropunk.com.