PRINTER'S NO. 3126
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE RESOLUTION
No.
441
Session of
2024
INTRODUCED BY SCOTT, KENYATTA, PIELLI, SMITH-WADE-EL, POWELL,
KINSEY, PROBST, HILL-EVANS, GUENST, HOHENSTEIN, WAXMAN,
SANCHEZ, KHAN, DELLOSO, HOWARD, SHUSTERMAN AND MAYES,
MAY 20, 2024
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON STATE GOVERNMENT, MAY 20, 2024
A RESOLUTION
Designating August 24, 2024, as "Bayard Rustin Day" in
Pennsylvania.
WHEREAS, Born March 17, 1912, Bayard Rustin was 1 of 12
children raised by his grandparents in West Chester; and
WHEREAS, It was at his family home in West Chester that Mr.
Rustin's lifelong commitment to nonviolent activism began
through both a Quaker upbringing and the influence of his
grandmother's participation in the National Association for the
Advancement of Colored People; and
WHEREAS, As a teenager, Mr. Rustin's activism included
refusing to sit in the segregated section of the cinema; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Rustin later worked for the Fellowship of
Reconciliation (FOR) as a young adult, advocating for peace,
labor rights and social equality; and
WHEREAS, This work included traveling to India to study the
Gandhian philosophy of nonviolence; and
WHEREAS, In 1941, Mr. Rustin served as a principal leader in
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calling for a march on Washington to protest discrimination in
the armed forces and defense sector, in response to which
President Franklin Roosevelt preemptively issued an executive
order ending segregation in the defense industries; and
WHEREAS, During this period, Mr. Rustin also cofounded the
Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) and participated in the CORE
Journey of Reconciliation, which tested Supreme Court rulings
barring segregation in interstate travel and later served as a
model for the Freedom Rides of 1961; and
WHEREAS, In 1953, Mr. Rustin was fired from FOR because he
was gay, which became one of many instances where he faced
discrimination on account of his sexual orientation; and
WHEREAS, In 1956, Mr. Rustin met with Dr. Martin Luther King,
Jr., to show his support for the Montgomery Bus Boycott and
advocate for the use of nonviolent tactics in protesting racial
injustices in the United States; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Rustin's influence was monumental in encouraging
Dr. King to accept pacifism as a way of life and was
instrumental in nonviolence becoming a cornerstone of the Civil
Rights Movement; and
WHEREAS, Dr. King worked closely with Mr. Rustin and leaned
on his brilliant strategies and organizational skills, which
were on full display when he served as chief organizer for the
1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom; and
WHEREAS, The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom became
a landmark event credited with facilitating passage of the 1964
Civil Rights Act and the 1965 Voting Rights Act; and
WHEREAS, Throughout the remainder of his life, Mr. Rustin
would go on to combat social injustice, including serving as a
champion for gay rights; and
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WHEREAS, Bayard Rustin died on August 24, 1987, but his fight
for nonviolent activism and social justice continues to live on
among the modern-day activists who follow in his footsteps;
therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives designate August
24, 2024, as "Bayard Rustin Day" in Pennsylvania; and be it
further
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives honor the life
and significant accomplishments of this influential and often
overlooked leader in our nation's history.
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