Bayard Rustin - The Anatomy of Frustration, 1968

This episode features Bayard Rustins 1968 speech, The Anatomy of Frustration, as read by Bill McKinney. You may know Mr. Rustin as a leader in the Labor Movement, or as the person who served as the primary advisor to Dr. Martin Luther King in regards to the concept of non-violent protest, or as the primary organizer of the 1963 March on Washington. You also may not know who he is because as an openly Gay Black Man he was often pushed to the background of the movement out of fear that his sexuality would damage the cause. The reality is though that one cannot be free until all are free. In a movement for Equal Rights it was a hypocritical stance and the continued lack of full inclusion of the LGBQT community continues to be a shortcoming in the current movement for Racial Justice.

The essays and speeches shared in this series share concepts that will often resonate with our current situation. While some ideas have been proven to be right and others wrong they are all worth considering as points of reflection and discussion. Throughout these episodes you will hear someone who is committed to Non-Violence as well as to Labor as a uniting force in gaining Equality and Justice. 

The Anatomy of Frustration, 1968 – This speech explores the debate between violent and non-violent action and their outcomes. It also explores concepts of coalition building and the forces that work to prevent those coalitions from being built out of fear of the power they will wield. The speech also specifically explores Black and Jewish relations as well as solutions he sees within the labor movement.