Martin Luther King, Jr. and Gay Bayard Rustin

In 1937, at the age of 25, an openly gay man named Bayard Rustin started training at the American Friends Service Committee. By 1963 he was perhaps one of the most important figures in African-American and glbt history. Rustin fought social and politician causes behind the scenes and thus his name is rarely spoken. Yet few would imagine it was he, an openly gay man, that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. tapped to organize the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the 1963 March on Washington (Where King gave his famed "I Have A Dream" speech). Neither King nor Rustin did what they did for the glory. They saw an injustice in the country and the World and dedicated every ounce of themselves to making it right--one person at a time.

As you take time away from work or school to commemorate the great achievements of Dr. King, think about how you can make a difference. The state of our world can be overwhelming and each of us within it may seem insignificant, but King and Rustin were only single people who used their individual strengths for a common cause. What's your dream?

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_{Image © Jenny Kennedy-Olsen.}