Walter Naegle

Walter Naegle was Bayard Rustin's partner during the last decade of Rustin's life (1977-87). He is one of the authors of Bayard Rustin, The Invisible Activist, a biography for young people. Rustin was a major figure in the African-American civil rights movement. Although he is known primarily as the organizer of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, his more than 60 years of activism also included work in peace, labor, immigrant rights, and LGBT rights. He was a close advisor to Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. and drew up the founding documents for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. A consummate organizer, he was the genius behind The Prayer Pilgrimage for Freedom (1957), two Youth Marches for Integrated Schools (1958, '59), and the 1964 School Boycott in New York City. Often marginalized because of his radical politics and openness about his sexual identity, awareness of his importance in expanding our democracy has been heightened since his death. Numerous biographies and an award-winning documentary film, Brother Outsider, the Life of Bayard Rustin, have brought his story to a world-wide audience. Walter Naegle is available for speaking engagements and book signings.