2012 is the centennial of the birth of Bayard Rustin, often called the "lost prophet" of the civil rights movement. A master strategist and tireless activist, he is best remembered as the organizer of the 1963 March on Washington, one of the largest nonviolent protests ever held in the U.S. He brought Gandhi's protest techniques to the American civil rights movement and played a deeply influential role in the life of Martin Luther King, Jr., helping to mold him into an international symbol of nonviolence. 

Join us for a special evening with Michael Long, editor of the book "I Must Resist: Bayard Rustin's Life in Letters" being released in March, 2012  This book opens with Rustin's letter to 15th Street (NY) Monthly Meeting elaborating on his interpretation of the Peace Testimony. 

Mr. Long is an associate professor of religious studies and peace and conflict studies at Elizabethtown College and is the author or editor of several books on civil rights, religion, and politics in mid-century America, including Marshalling Justice: The Early Civil Rights Letters of Thurgood Marshall and First Class Citizenship: The Civil Rights Letters of Jackie Robinson. He holds a Ph.D. from Emory University in Atlanta and resides in Highland Park, Pennsylvania.

Copies of this book will be available for purchase after the potluck.