Annual Bayard Rustin Symposium will stream on Saturday on Zoom

This year’s annual Bayard Rustin Symposium is set to hit Zoom on Saturday.

The event is named for a man known by most as an associate of Martin Luther King, Jr., but Rustin was also an openly gay Black man in a time when it was not easy to be either on the public stage. For organizer and archivist Anna Bergman, he is not a “footnote” activist during the civil rights movement— he was a force all his own.

The symposium is a chance to share discussions about social equity and equality. This year’s will focus on the idea of “racism from within the community,” meaning oppression and micro-aggressions from within activist communities themselves.

Professor Roxanne Dummett of George Mason University will share her expertise on deaf culture in the Black community. Dr. Dummett will explain this unique ASL (American Sign Language) community among hearing impaired African-Americans, and the language they share through their hands.

Aside from Professor Dummett, the symposium will include Reverend Danté R. Quick on the legacy of Rustin. Dr. Quick is the pastor of the Friendship Missionary Baptist Church and often hosts town halls on social issues and racial equity in Vallejo. Anne Bergman will be making a presentation about the archives of Bayard Rustin. Music will also be provided by BLACKBERRI.

The event takes place at 10 a.m. For a Zoom invite, email rustinsymposium@gmail.com or view it live at the Bayard Rustin Symposium Facebook page.