Search

lesson

Bayard Rustin: The Fight for Racial Justice and Gay Rights

This lesson centers on the invaluable work and activism of Bayard Rustin. Rustin was not only dedicated to orchestrating the civil rights movement; he was also one of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s closest advisors, and the organizer of the 1963 March on Washington.

Grade Level

9-12

Topic

Gender & Sexual Identity Rights & Activism

Subject

Reading & Language Arts

Social Studies

History

January 22, 2013

text

Informational

"Nonviolence vs. Jim Crow" 1942

Bayard Rustin believed deeply in the power of nonviolence during the era of segregation. In the following essay, he describes its use and effect on a bus ride from Louisville to Nashville.

Bayard Rustin

Grade Level

6-8

Topic

Class

Subject

History

February 22, 2019

text

Informational

Experiment in Fairness

Bayard Rustin was an African American leader who worked for the Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR) in the 1940s and 1950s for equal rights for all Americans using nonviolence. In this story, he writes about the struggle for an African American man to order a simple hamburger at a restaurant in the Midwest.

Bayard Rustin

Grade Level

6-8

Topic

Civil Rights Movement Class

Subject

Civics

History

Economics

July 16, 2018

article

June 21, 2019

What We’re Reading This Week: June 21, 2019

A weekly sampling of articles, blogs and reports relevant to TT educators.

article

March 17, 2014

The Central Struggle of Our Time

Bayard Rustin at a podium with microphones, addressing a crowd.

Bayard Rustin’s participation in the civil rights movement enshrined his place in the history of the 20th century, and his life’s work has become newly relevant during a time when LGBTQ rights are at the forefront of the American conscience.

Topic

Gender & Sexual Identity Rights & Activism

article

Issue 42, Fall 2012

Once Upon a Time in America

Banner of civil rights era figures such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Medgar Evers

Don’t sugarcoat history in teaching the civil rights movement. Students deserve the full truth about both the racial bias that caused it and our hesitant steps toward freedom.

Topic

Rights & Activism

article

Issue 42, Fall 2012

Toolkit for 'Once Upon a Time in America'

The year 1963 marks the 50 th anniversary of many milestones in the civil rights movement. In the current issue of Teaching Tolerance, “ Once Upon a Time in America” traces some of the movements’ toughest trials. The

article

August 28, 2012

Ten Things to Know About the March on Washington

A young Black man's blurred image in the background with his hand and an "I voted" sticker and flag.

Think you know all about the march? Think again!

Topic

Rights & Activism

article

February 14, 2017

Black LGBTQ History: Teachers Must Do a Better Job

Civil rights and LGBTQ leader Bayard Rustin talking to four students gathered around him.

Our curricula should not present a narrow, monolithic narrative about Black history that omits certain voices and identity groups, such as LGBTQ individuals.

Topic

Gender & Sexual Identity

article

September 19, 2014

The Activist Award Essay

To close an English unit on social activism, this teacher had her students reflect by recognizing and writing about the activist potential in their classmates.

Topic

Rights & Activism

Search

19 Results

Get the Learning for Justice Newsletter