AP+2016+A.+Philip+Randolph+and+Bayard+Rustin

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 * 1)  Aim: A. Philip Randolph was an African-American Civil Rights leader whose goal was to bring about equality primarily in the workforce and military, while Bayard Rustin started as a young man under Randolph who later moved up to work under Martin Luther King Jr. to promote nonviolence. Even when Randolph expanded to general civil rights and equality, he “never forgot the interests of black workers and was a constant critic of discrimination in some unions” (Stein). Bayard Rustin had worked under Randolph for a considerable time before leaving for Martin Luther King Jr. for his peaceful policies, and eventually became “a key adviser to Martin Luther King Jr. in the 1960s” (Biography.com). Although their methods and focuses were different, they still aimed for the same result of equality between African-Americans and white people in America. Rustin was only a participant in Randolph’s events, but later became the top adviser behind MLK’s movements and events. He later also came out as a homosexual and became the leader of gay rights movements in the midst of the overall Civil Rights movement. Randolph, on the other hand, had continued pushing his movement for equality in the workplace. Together, Randolph and Rustin helped bring Martin Luther King Jr. to the forefront of the Civil Rights movement and spread the message of his “I Have a Dream” speech. Their goal of achieving equality in their respective areas, and equality between the races in general, was brought about thanks to the combined efforts of many leaders, and not just them.
 * 1)  Audience: Randolph and Rustin’s efforts were aimed primarily towards the southern whites of America, and were meant to assist the African-Americans who were denied their rights and equality. While Randolph “kept the interests of black workers at the forefront of the racial agenda”, Rustin wanted to help blacks in general while also helping homosexuals and other minorities in reaching equality (Stein). Both had criticized the Black Power movement and wanted to make a completely equal society, with Randolph looking more at the economic side and Rustin looking at the civil society side. The two of them appealed to the nonviolent individual who wants to create change through peace rather than violence, as both had organized parties, marches, and other events to create a society through nonviolent means. While the Black Panthers focused on complete segregation and the “color line”, Randolph and Rustin wanted to blur that line and create the truly “common man” that would come from a peaceful, equal world. Their work and efforts encourage a more civil approach to problems, as they both believed that a peaceful solution means a long lasting solution.
 * 1)  Cultural: Philip Randolph’s work to bring equality of pay in the workplace led to a large scale eradication of discrimination in labor groups in general. During both World Wars, Randolph and his friend Chandler Owen found a magazine that called for more black positions in the war industry and armed forces, eventually leading a march on Washington for both causes that successfully pressured President Franklin D. Roosevelt into making executive orders to eliminate racism within those areas. These victories made Randolph “the leading black figure in the labor movement” and the new head of the National Negro Congress (Stein). Randolph’s work helped make a more accepting workforce, and made a larger focus on the fact that black people are also affected by poverty and are thus also the “common man”. Jumping off the successes of Randolph, Bayard Rustin made a movement not only for Civil Rights but also for nonviolence. Heavily influenced by his Quaker religion and the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi, Rustin protested war efforts during the 1940s and the Cold War in order to make a more peaceful society. He had criticized the methods of individuals such as Malcolm X and was against war entirely, and usually “participated in several pacifist groups, including the Fellowship of Reconciliation” (Biography.com). Unlike Randolph, Rustin’s efforts focused on giving freedom to everybody, not just black people and not just in the workplace, through peace and connection. Along with Martin Luther King Jr, Rustin helped spread the idea of peaceful resistance and jump started more movements that were inspired by the Civil Rights movement, such as the gay rights movement and religious freedom movement.
 * 1)  Historical: Arguably just as significant as Martin Luther King Jr, Randolph and Rustin helped advance the Civil Rights movement and give more rights to black people in America. During the first World War, Philip Randolph began organizing unions to fight for black rights, which continued onto the second World War and onward. Throughout his career, Randolph had “kept the interests of black workers at the forefront of the racial agenda” and led numerous marches to equalize the workplace and keep industries from discriminating based on race (Stein). Continued organized marches on Washington led by Randolph kept making more progress and garnering more support, with the most famous being in 1963 which was started and planned by Randolph, and then moved to Martin Luther King Jr. where he gave his “I Have A Dream” speech. Rustin had followed both Randolph and Martin Luther King Jr. during the entirety of the Civil Rights movement, and was the one who introduced MLK to the idea of nonviolent protests. Across the country and even in England, Rustin spread ideas of equality for not only blacks but homosexuals, and worked to make peaceful protests successful and convince others not to resort to violent methods similar to the Black Panthers’. All of his efforts led to a march in which he “met the young civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr… and began working with King as an organizer and strategist” (Biography.com). Rustin’s tactics of peaceful protests and civil disobedience led to the bus boycott in Montgomery in 1956 and the march on Washington in 1963. After the march, both Randolph and Rustin formed the A. Philip Randolph Institute to ensure their progress is not undone from thinking the movement has been resolved, and still continues to keep equality to this day.
 * 1)  Works Cited:
 * 1)  Stein, Judith. “A. Philip Randolph” //History Channel.// A&E Networks. 2009. Web. January 5, 2016.
 * 1)  Biography.com Editors. “Bayard Rustin Biography” //Biography.com.// A&E Networks. NA. Web. January 5, 2016.