Bayard Rustin

Mugshot Series: Bayard Rustin 30x40 Acrylic 2020

Bayard Rustin, posthumous Presidential Medal of Freedom honoree in 2013, was an openly gay civil rights icon who died in 1987. He was incarcerated more than twenty times, espoused the principles of non-violence, helped organize and participated in the first freedom rides, and organized the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, initiated by his mentor A. Philip Randolph.

President Obama stated, “For decades, this great leader, often at Dr. King’s side, was denied his rightful place in history, because he was openly gay. No medal can change that, but today we honor Bayard Rustin’s memory by taking our place in his march toward true equality, no matter who we are or who we love.”

Bayard Rustin stirred controversy because he was gay. Now, the late Civil Rights architect will be honored by President Obama with a Medal of Freedom.

I highly recommend the documentary, Brother Outsider: The Life of Bayard Rustin. You can likely find a copy at your local public library or available for streaming via one of their online resources. I learned so much about African American history by checking out these and other free resources at my library and I’m pleased that I had the opportunity to select such items for others to expand their minds.

Intake mugshot of Bayard Rustin at the Lewisburg Penitentiary

What would Bayard Rustin think about social justice issues and politics today? The red, white and blue in the painting represents his importance as an American patriot and hero, albeit we are currently a sadly divided country of red and blue states. As I was working on his side profile, I noticed that it reminded me of President Obama and Lincoln’s side profile on the penny. The current administration has delayed, if not suspended, Harriet Tubman’s portrayal on the twenty dollar bill, so it’s very unlikely we will see either one of these Black men on the penny or any other piece of U.S. currency in my lifetime, so I just decided to honor Rustin and his Obama likeness in the manner of the Lincoln penny. It stroke me how ironic it is for “In God We Trust” to be our country’s motto when we have leaders with such divisive and racist’s outlooks in 2020. Since Rustin’s legacy was minimized by his sexuality and most will not recognize his portrait, and because mass incarceration of Black men is a major social injustice today, I thought his portrait could represent any African American man under the umbrella of “United States Penitentiary.” I utilized the gay liberation colors to honor his fight for LGBTQ rights and to illicit questions as to his identity.

Our history matters!