Kicking off Pride Month, Union Temple Baptist Church in Southeast D.C. unveiled a portrait of civil rights activist Bayard Rustin on June 1, which now hangs in the house of worship’s Hall of History, and features historical Black figures like the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X and Madam C.J. Walker.
While Rustin was critical to the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s, and the key organizer for the famous 1963 March on Washington, as an openly gay man, he was somewhat of an intentionally hidden figure in the fight for equality for many years.
However, with time– decades after his death in 1987— progress in the fight for LGBTQIA+ rights, and the 2023 Netflix film “Rustin,” starring Coleman Domingo, the civil rights leader is slowly starting to receive accolades and widespread recognition for his crucial contributions to the nationwide fight for equity and justice for all.
“We’re excited [during] Pride month to acknowledge and celebrate Bayard Rustin for his impact on civil rights, liberation and movement of empowerment of all of God’s children,” the Rev. Dr. Anika Wilson Brown, lead pastor of Union Temple Baptist Church, told The Informer.
As the globe commemorates WorldPride and the District marks the 50th anniversary of local Pride celebrations, this June is certainly a time for celebration. However, with the Trump administration’s efforts to reverse LGBTQ+ progress, such as the federal mandate only acknowledging people as biologically male or female – an attack on trans rights – many freedom fighters note that this June should also be about action.
Brown’s father, the Rev. Willie Wilson, felt the event was necessary to lead the way for how he thinks Black churches should open their arms to the queer community.
“This is a very important effort, as we look at the history of the Black church, in terms of how it has not related to those who are gay or queer,” Wilson told The Informer. “[This is a] challenge and encouragement to all other Black churches, not only in the [Washington D.C.] area but throughout this nation to embrace our brothers, sisters, sons and daughters who may be gay or queer.”
Church member Jade Flower Foster stressed the importance of the portrait going up in the hall, beyond Pride.
“This is a tremendous occasion to make sure that all LGBTQIA+ people know that they are loved and accepted, not just by God,” Foster said, “but by the house of God.”
Roneice James, minister at Union Temple, said she felt it was time that Rustin received his flowers from the local community and is proud to see his legacy live on at the church beyond Pride month.
“Today is an amazing, historical day,” she told The Informer. “It’s very important that we showcase Bayard Rustin on our history wall like we do Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X and other great African-American historical [figures].”
