NBJC Calls for Bayard Rustin to be Honored with a Stamp
metroweekly.comRustin, which honors the deceased civil rights leader, the National Black Justice Coalition renewed its call for a “Black Heritage Stamp” honoring Bayard Rustin’s contributions to the Civil Rights Movement.NBJC wants the postal service to unveil the stamp in February 2024, traditionally commemorated as Black History Month.“Bayard Rustin was the mentor of well-known civil rights leaders and chief organizer of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Justice,” NBJC wrote in a letter to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy.“Because of his identity as an openly same-gender loving man, he has been denied the recognition he deserves.
Sadly, too few know about the life and legacy of Bayard. Those familiar with the March are largely unaware of how much more he did to defend democratic principles in the United States and abroad.“Issuing a Bayard Rustin Black Heritage Stamp of Rustin will raise public awareness of his work and redress his exclusion from the Civil Rights Pioneers and Black Heritage series, which honors leaders Rustin mentored and platformed.”The letter goes on to note that “Rustin taught and advised Rev.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who has two different Forever Stamps honoring his life and legacy. Rustin organized and led the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Justice, which has a Forever Stamp in its honor.
Forever Stamps have been issued that honor the lives and legacies of several of Rustin’s mentees and colleagues, including U.S.
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