id="u0ea085ac-ab73-5602-9a57-ce705fc80da4">
Part 1
Activism
Bayard Rustin
Civil Rights Activist
“People will never fight for your freedom if you have not given evidence that you are prepared to fight for it yourself.”
Chances are you’ve heard of Martin Luther King Jr. and his famous “I Have a Dream” speech, but did you know Bayard Rustin, an openly gay man, was a mentor to King and instrumental in organizing the March on Washington, where that speech was given?
Rustin, who was no stranger to fighting for equal rights, traveled to India in the 1940s and studied the nonviolent resistance practices taught by Mahatma Gandhi. He combined those teachings with the pacifism of the Quaker religion and the socialism supported by African-American labor leader A. Philip Randolph to come up with his own approach to fighting for equal rights. In the 1950s, he met Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and advised him on the tactics of nonviolent civil disobedience.
As a mentor to King, Rustin helped him organize the successful Montgomery bus boycott, which ultimately led to the Supreme Court ruling it unconstitutional for Alabama and Montgomery to legally require segregation on their public transit system. He remained a close advisor to King for the next few years.
In the 1960s, Rustin became the Deputy Director for the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. He was a key strategist for the march, and, with his team, created and distributed a manual, which included demands and a roadmap that helped transform American civil rights, labor rights, and education and housing policies. This policy agenda played a crucial role in helping to secure passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1963 and the Voting Rights Act of 1964.
Rustin was involved in numerous boycotts and protests throughout his life, always fighting to protect and advance the rights of minority groups. He died in 1987 and was survived by Walter Naegle, his partner of ten years.
In 2013, Rustin was selected as an honoree in the United States Department of Labor Hall of Honor. That same year, President Obama posthumously awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award in the United States. Even though Rustin was pushed behind the scenes because of his sexuality and political affiliations, he leaves behind a legacy that helped transform equal rights in the United States.
Emma González
Gun Control Activist
“There will always be people that hate you, and they’re always going to be wrong.”
On Valentine’s Day, February 14, 2018, a teenager shot and killed seventeen people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. It was one of the deadliest shootings in modern American history. The following day, the Guardian reported that there had been 1,624 mass shootings in the US in the 1,870 days prior. These senseless acts of violence had become commonplace in America, and little was done in response to them other than people offering their “thoughts and prayers” while waiting for the next one to occur. But this time was different. This time, the students relentlessly spoke up to push for gun safety laws, and one of those students was eighteen-year-old Emma González. Days after the shooting at her school, González gave a speech at a federal courthouse in which she put pressure on politicians and the NRA. Within moments, the speech went viral. Shortly after the rally, González and her classmates attended a town hall hosted by CNN, where they stood up to NRA spokesperson, Dana Loesch. González made such an impact at the event that her Twitter account quickly gained more followers than the official NRA account.
In less than a month after the shooting, the students pressured Florida politicians to take action, passing the “Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act.” The law raised the minimum age for buying a gun from eighteen to twenty-one, allocated money to mental health assistance in schools, established waiting periods and background checks, allowed for the arming of some teachers, banned bump stocks, and more. The students then went on to lead the March for Our Lives protest against gun violence, in which more than two million people participated in Washington, DC, and around the world.
González, who is openly bisexual and ran her school’s Gay-Straight Alliance for three years, continues to work with her fellow students to push for meaningful gun legislation in the States and to prevent the reelection of politicians who take money from the NRA.
Nyle DiMarco
Model, Actor, and Activist
“With sign language, I was able to embrace my own identity as Deaf. I did not let being Deaf define me. Instead, I defined it.”
Nyle DiMarco has been breaking down barriers and stereotypes ever since he was thrust into the spotlight when he appeared on the television show America’s Next Top Model in 2015. DiMarco was the first deaf contestant in the history of the show. Since he uses American Sign Language with facial expressions and body movements, his deafness amplified his natural talent, helping him win the competition. Soon afterward, DiMarco broke down stereotypes again when he became a contestant on Dancing with the Stars. Even though he couldn’t hear the music, being a visual person, he was able to pick up on small details and cues provided by his dance partner. And while he wasn’t the first deaf person to compete on Dancing with the Stars (that credit goes to Marlee Matlin), he was the first deaf contestant to win on the show. Many people have the misconception that deaf people can’t dance because they can’t hear the music. By appearing on the show, DiMarco brought deaf culture into the households of millions of Americans and showed them that the only thing deaf people can’t do is hear. Other than that, they can do anything else other people can do.
Winning television competitions has given DiMarco a giant platform to advocate and raise awareness for issues relating to the deaf community. He created the Nyle DiMarco Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of deaf people around the world, with a focus on bilingual education (American Sign Language and English) for deaf children. According to the World Federation of the Deaf, there are seventy million deaf people around the globe, and only about 2 percent of them have access to sign language education. When children do not have early access to language, they can have difficulties in functioning, socializing, communicating with other people, and overall learning. That’s why, through his foundation, DiMarco has worked toward ensuring that all deaf children in the United States have access to language before they reach five years of age.
Taking his message global, DiMarco addressed the United Nations in 2018 and helped them mark September 23 as the first International Day of Sign Languages. During his visit, he raised awareness of sign languages and the rights of persons with disabilities all over the world. He also advocated for more countries to recognize sign language as an official language.
In addition to being an inspiration to millions of deaf people, DiMarco is also a role model for people in the LGBTQ community. Attitude magazine honored him with its 2017 Man of the Year award for being a tireless fighter for equality. DiMarco identifies as genderfluid and lives his life out and proud, encouraging everyone to embrace their own identity in order to thrive.
Cecelia Maria Zarbo Wambach,
