Many celebrate the accomplishments of Martin Luther King Jr., so today I will bring to light the contributions of another historical and important figure -- Bayard Rustin.

Rustin was an artist, activist, organizer and visionary. He was also responsible for introducing the philosophy of pacifism to King and his wife. He was also an openly gay man. Forget about Clay Aiken. Try coming out as a gay figure during the 1960s.

I graduated from an HBCU and taught at two others, but I wasl never exposed to the great work and historical contribution of this incredibly talented man. It was years later that I finally discovered who Rustin was and how important he was to the Civil Rights Movement. It seems that with our own community, we have edited history to suit the needs of the majority…a pity.

I was getting dressed for work and I thought: What a testimony to King's dream it is that an inner-city kid whose grandparents had a third-grade education would go on to be an educator and chair of his school's film program. This is a pretty decent accomplishment for the former skinny, geek, bully magnate and class clown.

I actually had to work on MLK day. My first inclination was to show up wearing my "No Justice, No Peace" T-shirt and booming "Fight the Power" from my office, but I decided that, in this recession, I had better play the game and cash the paycheck.

And what was that about protesting to keep kids out of school on MLK Day. Kids are dealing with violence in public schools, unsatisfactory test scores and not to mention a district closing schools every other Tuesday. Our kids are behind academically. They should not only be in school but hazed if they don't know the multiplication tables…lol.

But back to the Bayard Rustin.

Coretta Scott King first was introduced to Rustin during her time at Antioch College. There is a wonderful documentary, "Brother Outsider: The Life of Bayard Rustin." The film documents the role Rustin played in organizing the March on Washington, where King delivered his most famous speech.

It also shows how Rustin was later pushed out of King's inner circle and strategically written out of history because he was also an out and non-apologetic homosexual man.
There are many important historical gay icons, but Rustin is different in that he does not have a soundtrack associated with him....laugh.

"Boycott" is the only film I have ever seen that explores Rustin as an historical figure and an important part of the civil rights narrative. "Boycott" and "Brother Outsider" are must-see films if you want an accurate portrayal of who was truly involved in the historical March on Washington. You can catch "Brother Outsider" on LOGO.

I measure changing times differently. King had high expectations for his community and the country. What would he say about the present state of black youth and the country in general? "Boondocks" has a very controversial episode that shows King's reaction upon suddenly reappearing. What do you guys think?

How did you celebrate King this year, and has his dream been realized or
deferred?

You can check out the "Boondocks" clip in the window above.
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Professor Locs, aka Charles Easley, is an educator who explores race, class, gender, sexuality, media and popular culture with humor and insight. Click here to read his blog.

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