Brother Outsider

The Life of Freedom Fighter Bayard Rustin

Part of the Series: California Newsreel Essential Collection

On November 20, 2013, Bayard Rustin was posthumously awarded the prestigious Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama. Who was this man? He was there at most of the important events of the Civil Rights Movement - but always in the background. BROTHER OUTSIDER asks "Why?" It presents a vivid drama, intermingling the personal and the political, about one of the most enigmatic figures in 20th-century American history.

One of the first "freedom riders," an adviser to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and A. Philip Randolph, organizer of the march on Washington, intelligent, gregarious and charismatic, Bayard Rustin was denied his place in the limelight for one reason - he was gay. This film contributes a fascinating new chapter to our understanding of both progressive movements and gay life in 20th-century America.

Official Selection at the Sundance Film Festival.

"For young folks who take their freedoms for granted, the entire documentary is an important reminder that some people fought hard and put their lives on the line to attain those freedoms." - Philadelphia Inquirer