This episode features Bayard Rustins essay, The Meaning of Birmingham and the pamphlet, Preamble to the March on Washington, as read by Bill McKinney. You may know Mr. Rustin as a leader in the Labor Movement, or as the person who served as the primary advisor to Dr. Martin Luther King in regards to the concept of non-violent protest, or as the primary organizer of the 1963 March on Washington. You also may not know who he is because as an openly Gay Black Man he was often pushed to the background of the movement out of fear that his sexuality would damage the cause. The reality is though that one cannot be free until all are free. In a movement for Equal Rights it was a hypocritical stance and the continued lack of full inclusion of the LGBQT community continues to be a shortcoming in the current movement for Racial Justice. The essays and speeches shared in this series share concepts that will often resonate with our current situation. While some ideas have been proven to be right and others wrong they are all worth considering as points of reflection and discussion. Throughout these episodes you will hear someone who is committed to Non-Violence as well as to Labor as a uniting force in gaining Equality and Justice. The Meaning of Birmingham, 1963 – Directly addresses the success in addressing the “white power structure” and the continued need to demand jobs and freedom. This essay is a reminder that movement can be made but momentum cant be lost if we do not continue to fight for the ultimate goals. and Preamble to the March on Washington, 1963 - While we are most familiar with the “I have a dream” speech from the March on Washington we should not forget that the march was built on a platform of demanding economic and labor rights for not only Blacks but for all Americans. This document clearly states the larger objectives of the actions related to the March.

This episode features Bayard Rustins 1968 speech, The Anatomy of Frustration, as read by Bill McKinney. You may know Mr. Rustin as a leader in the Labor Movement, or as the person who served as the primary advisor to Dr. Martin Luther King in regards to the concept of non-violent protest, or as the primary organizer of the 1963 March on Washington. You also may not know who he is because as an openly Gay Black Man he was often pushed to the background of the movement out of fear that his sexuality would damage the cause. The reality is though that one cannot be free until all are free. In a movement for Equal Rights it was a hypocritical stance and the continued lack of full inclusion of the LGBQT community continues to be a shortcoming in the current movement for Racial Justice. The essays and speeches shared in this series share concepts that will often resonate with our current situation. While some ideas have been proven to be right and others wrong they are all worth considering as points of reflection and discussion. Throughout these episodes you will hear someone who is committed to Non-Violence as well as to Labor as a uniting force in gaining Equality and Justice. The Anatomy of Frustration, 1968 – This speech explores the debate between violent and non-violent action and their outcomes. It also explores concepts of coalition building and the forces that work to prevent those coalitions from being built out of fear of the power they will wield. The speech also specifically explores Black and Jewish relations as well as solutions he sees within the labor movement.

This episode features Bayard Rustins essay, New South…Old Politics, 1956, as read by Bill McKinney. You may know Mr. Rustin as a leader in the Labor Movement, or as the person who served as the primary advisor to Dr. Martin Luther King in regards to the concept of non-violent protest, or as the primary organizer of the 1963 March on Washington. You also may not know who he is because as an openly Gay Black Man he was often pushed to the background of the movement out of fear that his sexuality would damage the cause. The reality is though that one cannot be free until all are free. In a movement for Equal Rights it was a hypocritical stance and the continued lack of full inclusion of the LGBQT community continues to be a shortcoming in the current movement for Racial Justice. The essays and speeches shared in this series share concepts that will often resonate with our current situation. While some ideas have been proven to be right and others wrong they are all worth considering as points of reflection and discussion. Throughout these episodes you will hear someone who is committed to Non-Violence as well as to Labor as a uniting force in gaining Equality and Justice. New South…Old Politics, 1956 – Explores the era when party allegiances of Blacks flipped from Republican to Democrat (also correcting the current myths pushed by Right-Wing supremacists); the connection of Blacks to individual parties and the need for a third party that is more representative of the needs of both Blacks and of Labor.

We begin the series with Bill McKinney reading Frederick Douglas’s seminal speech from July 5th, 1852, “What to a slave is the fourth of July?”. In 1852 Frederick Douglas was asked to give the Keynote speech for the Rochester Ladies' Anti-Slavery Society. While recognizing the strength of the principles set forth by the Founding Fathers he clearly points out the hypocrisy of the reverence for their ideals while most continue to be complicit with slavery. He reminds us that since the inception of this country people have been excluded from the ideals that we hold so dear as a nation. As America continues to value the freedom of some over others, we continue to debate protest as it connects to the National Anthem as well as the celebration of holidays such as Independence Day. This speech is a powerful reminder that this is not a new or a solved issue.