Brother Outsider: The Life of Bayard Rustin is a truly inspirational film highlighting the life of Bayard Rustin, one of the most important and influential Civil Rights activists. Rustin was not only African American in a time of segregation, but he was also unapologetically gay.[i] However, Rustin’s open homosexuality forced him to remain in the background, marking him repeatedly as a “brother outsider.” Directed by Nancy Kates and Bennett Singer, Brother Outsider was part of the 15th anniversary season of the POV (documentaries with a point of view) series, which runs on PBS.
Like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Rustin was determined to increase tolerance and seek social justice through non-violent approaches. In fact, the viewer learns that Rustin was brought in to further tutor King in non-violent strategies. His acumen helped the Civil Rights Movement to gain great momentum that it finally developed. His work organizing the 1965 March on Washington was one of the largest protests America had ever seen. Directors Kates and Singer are able to capture the full scope of Rustin’s complex, 60-year career as an activist, advisor, and public advocate via this award-winning documentary. Using archival material would serve as a bonus for the film as it added to the overall success of the documentary, and allowed us to see Rustin in action. The controversial topics in this film, which include his sexuality, his politics, her personal values and beliefs all make for an intriguing and captivating documentary film.
Kates and Singer uses Rustin’s extensive FBI records as a method of narration. Other rare archival footage includes ardent debates between Rustin and such highly politicized figures as Stokely Carmichael (Kwame Ture) and Malcolm X. Also in the documentary we are able to see the Rustin in the later years as he continued to champion human rights including gay rights in campaigns around the globe. As King’s aide and former U.N. ambassador Andrew Young recalls in the film, “His commitment to justice was always very strong and very consistent. It was easier when he had allies like Martin Luther King and A. Philip Randolph, but when they were gone, he didn’t stop.”
All in all, Brother Outsider is a great first step in getting familiar with the late Bayard Rustin.
It is an important documentary that informs and acknowledges one of the great leaders of the civil rights who has often been overlooked and overshadowed by some of the other more prominent figures. “Bayard Rustin was an extraordinary American who’s been slighted in the historical record because he was gay,” says filmmaker Nancy Kates. Both Kates and Singer make great efforts and successfully correct the record, but also examine Rustin’s amazing life and how he taught the world about issues of equity and the fight for social justice.
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[i] Rustin’s sexuality would be challenged on various occasions, particularly during the 1960 Democratic Convention: One of the most interesting aspects of the film highlights Rustin’s determination and unwillingness to give up. Adam Clayton Powell tried to hold Rustin’s sexuality against him during the 1960 Democratic Convention. Powell threatened to spread rumors about Rustin’s sexuality if the Civil Rights activists did not stop protesting. Martin Luther King Jr., would be made aware of this threat, but this did not scare Rustin. He maintained his stance and continued to fight for what he believed in.
