BROTHER OUTSIDER: Bayard Rustin as a Catalyst for Intersectional Diversity
Documentary Film Series
Day 3
Session Code: DF2-AWhen: March 10, 2021
Level: Intermediate
Track: Social Responsibility
Presenters: Melissa Kiguwa, Activist and Writer | Nereida (Neddy) Perez, McCormick & Company, Inc. | Bennett Singer, Singer & Deschamps Productions, Inc. | Walter Naegle, The Bayard Rustin Fund
Description
Bayard Rustin — described by TIME magazine as “perhaps the most critical figure in the struggle for African-American dignity that many people have never heard of” — saw his identity as a gay man as inextricably linked to his identity as a Black man. For decades, however, Rustin’s openness about being gay left him marginalized, even by allies within the civil rights movement. A growing number of workplaces are using Rustin’s story as a catalyst to spark reflection on diversity and inclusion and to foster bridge-building between LGBTQ and African-American or multicultural ERGs.
This session will feature clips from the award-winning documentary “Brother Outsider” (highlighting Rustin’s role as a disciple of Gandhi, mentor to Dr. King, and organizer of the 1963 March on Washington) along with insights, strategies and testimony from filmmaker Bennett Singer and distinguished panelists whose work focuses on workplace diversity and inclusion, LGBTQ equality, and global human rights.
Website: www.brotheroutsider.org
Learning Outcomes
• Increase understanding of the linkages among discrimination, bias, racism and homophobia
• Examine Bayard Rustin’s intersectionality and the relation between intersectionality and allyship
• Provide guidance and best practices for courageous conversations relating to LGBTQ+ status
Sponsor
