Your Thanksgiving Movie? "Rustin"
A short conversation with Bayard Rustin biographer, historian John D'Emilio, about why all Americans who care about freedom should be grateful for this civil rights giant
Happy Thanksgiving for those who celebrate—and for those of you who don’t, a lovely day off to do as you please without work or family commitments. This post is an example of what will be paywalled in the future, so consider:
This Thanksgiving finds many of us in a worried place: about the 2024 election, the crisis in Israel/Palestine, and perhaps even personal and family issues that can’t be easily resolved. Three public conversations tend to dominate this strangest of all holidays: food, shopping, and making lists of things to be grateful for.
So, on this holiday, I am grateful for civil rights activist Bayard Rustin, and I am thinking about what he would have brought to the harsh style of our current political culture. Rustin was born in 1912 in West Chester, PA, near where I grew up, and raised a Quaker (those who know the Philadelphia area also know that the Quaker influence runs very deep there, but few understand what a profound influence this quiet faith has had on Black politics in the United States.)
Rustin was born into an already politicized family: his grandmother, who raised him, was a member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, and as a child, Rustin was exposed to activists in leadership position like W.E.B. Dubois and James Weldon Johnson. But as a young adult, Rustin became radicalized. At various times, he was a Communist, a conscientious objector in World War II, and a socialist, and in the post-World War II period, he brought the practice of non-violent resistance to a Black Freedom struggle that was increasingly mobilized at the grassroots. He brought all of this history, as well as his personal history as a proud, gay man, to the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom on August 28, 1963.
The history of that march is the story that Rustin, directed by George C. Scott, produced by Barack and Michelle Obama, and starring Colman Domingo, tells. I saw it in a movie theater (the Academy doesn’t consider a film for an Oscar unless it has been released in theaters), but you can see it on Netflix. If your Thanksgiving crew is still looking for a movie, this is one you won’t want to miss.
I liked the movie so much that I called my friend John D’Emilio, the author of Lost Prophet: The Life and Times of Bayard Rustin (University of Chicago Press, 2004) to talk about it, historian to historian. This is what we said:
The clip that opens my conversation with John is from the official trailer for Rustin: you can view the whole thing here.
And have a Happy Thanksgiving, friends. See you on Monday!
Are you trying to think of a holiday gift for someone who just has too much stuff, but is interested in ideas and conversation?
And here’s a bonus: through December 26, all annual subscriptions—for yourself or others—include a free copy of my book about political media, Political Junkies: From Talk Radio to Twitter, How Alternative Media Hooked Us on Politics and Broke Our Democracy (Basic Books, 2020.)