A civil rights activist who often worked behind the scenes, Bayard Rustin was a key organizer of the U.S. civil rights movement and a lifelong advocate for economic equality and LGBTQ+ rights. Influenced by Black leaders and activists from an early age, he participated in labor, antiwar, and social justice movements while also practicing music as a vocalist. He became a close adviser to Martin Luther King Jr. and was a central organizer of the 1963 March on Washington, where King delivered his ‘I Have a Dream’ speech. Despite facing imprisonment for his activism and his identity as a gay man, Rustin continued working for justice until his death.