Bayard Rustin Educational Complex
formerly known as Bayard Rustin High School for the Humanities
overview
Many New York City public schools are named in honor of prominent figures in American and world history, including Bayard Rustin Educational Complex, in Manhattan, which inadvertently honors an LGBT individual.
In June 1994, the school was also the site of volleyball events for Gay Games IV.
Bayard Rustin and Dr. Eugene Reed at Freedom House, New York City, 1964. Photo by Al Ravenna/World Telegram & Sun. Source: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.
Textile High School, 1931. Source: Wikimedia Commons, 2010.
History
Many New York City public schools are named in honor of prominent figures in American and world history. The NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project compiled a list of the 25 public schools named after gay men, lesbians, and bisexuals, although only one — Harvey Milk High School — intentionally honors an LGBT individual. This list includes Bayard Rustin Educational Complex, in Manhattan.
Raised as a Quaker, Bayard Rustin (1912-1987) was an openly gay Black activist and devout pacifist who, over the course of five decades, had an immeasurable impact on the civil rights movement in the United States and social justice efforts abroad. One of his many roles was as chief advisor to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in the 1950s and early 1960s, to whom he taught Mahatma Gandhi’s philosophy of non-violent resistance. However, despite working tirelessly for the civil rights cause, Rustin was often forced to give up leadership roles and recognition because of prejudice towards his homosexuality. Rustin served as the lead organizer of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, which is now largely remembered for Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech.
This building was constructed as the Textile High School. It was renamed a number of times, including in 1988 as the Bayard Rustin High School for the Humanities, following Rustin’s death.
Gay Games IV
From June 18-25, 1994, sporting events for Gay Games IV took place at 30 venues in the New York metropolitan area. Volleyball was held, in part, at the Bayard Rustin High School for the Humanities from Sunday to Monday, June 19-20.
Entry by Jay Shockley, project director, and Amanda Davis, project manager (February 2021; last revised July 2024).
NOTE: Names above in bold indicate LGBT people.
Building Information
- Architect or Builder: Walter C. Martin
- Year Built: 1929-30
Sources
Henry Louis Gates, Jr., “Who Designed the March on Washington,” The Root, August 19, 2013, bit.ly/2eEo0oF.
“Gay Games IV: What, Where and When,” The New York Times, June 17, 1994, C24.
Mark Meinke and Kathleen LaFrank, “Bayard Rustin Residence,” National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form (Waterford, NY: New York State Historic Preservation Office, March 8, 2016).
Michael G. Long, I Must Resist: Bayard Rustin’s Life in Letters (San Francisco: City Lights Books, 2012).
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