In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday, the Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies Program at Gustavus Adolphus College will sponsor a free screening of the award-winning documentary Brother Outsider: The Life of Bayard Rustin at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 17 in Room 127 of Confer Hall.
Rustin was a tireless activist during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s and is best remembered as the organizer of the 1963 March on Washington, one of the largest nonviolent protests ever held in the United States. He is credited with bringing Gandhi’s protest techniques to the Civil Rights Movement and for helping to mold King into an international symbol of peace and nonviolence.
Despite his achievements, Rustin was silenced, threatened, arrested, beaten, imprisoned, and fired from important leadership positions, largely because he was an openly gay man in a fiercely homophobic era. Brother Outsider presents a feature-length documentary portrait of Rustin, focusing on his activism for peace, racial equality, economic justice, and human rights.
The film has received at least 25 awards and honors, including the 2004 GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Documentary, a Silver Hugo Award from the Chicago International Television Competition, First Prize at the 2003 Rhode Island International Film Festival, the 2004 American Library Association Notable Videos for Adults Award, and Best Documentary Feature Award at the 2003 Cinequest San Jose Film Festival.
The screening of Brother Outsider is free and open to the public. Questions about this event can be directed to Associate Professor of Political Science and Director of the Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies Program Jill Locke at jlocke@gustavus.edu or 507-933-6226.
The following video is a three-minute trailer for Brother Outsider:
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