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 LGBT history.

______

Profile: Bayard Rustin, March on Washington Organizer
______

Yet few would imagine it was he, Bayard Rustin, 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 immortal "I Have A Dream" speech. Both King and Rustin saw a plague of injustice in this country and dedicated their lives to making it right—for all people, one person at a time.

As you take time away from work or school to honor 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 Dr. King and Bayard Rustin used their individual strengths to better a greater world. What's your dream and how will you use your voice for change?

_{Image © Mark Wilson/Getty Images.}