LGBTQ+ Pride Month: Bayard Rustin Bayard Rustin, born on March 17, 1912, in West Chester, Pennsylvania, was an African American who led numerous social movements to advocate for civil rights, gay rights, nonviolence, and socialism. From helping with the March on Washington Movement, in 1941, to organizing a group called “In Friendship”, in 1954, Rustin always pressed to end racial employment discrimination. Rustin also helped organize Freedom Rides, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference strengthening Martin Luther King Jr.’s leadership, the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, and the Montgomery bus boycott. As a gay man, Rustin, experienced criticism over his sexuality, motivating him to fight for human rights, civil rights, and gay rights. After working behind the scenes with civil-rights leaders, Rustin became a public advocate on behalf of gay causes in the 1980s. Rustin died on August 24, 1987, at the age of 75. After his death, President Ronald Reagan praised him an...