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'Rustin' biopic trailer spotlights the 'forgotten' civil rights leader

"He made history, and in turn, he was forgotten."

By Caitlin Welsh on August 28, 2023

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Everyone knows the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the speech he gave 60 years ago today that rang out over Washington D.C. Not as many people know about Bayard Rustin.

The March on Washington on Aug. 28, 1963, while a stunning showcase for Dr. King's legendary oratory powers, was organized by Rustin and A. Phillip Randolph Jr. — two leaders in the civil rights movement, who still haven't been given their due in mainstream culture. That's starting to change this year with the release of Netflix's Rustin, a biopic starring Colman Domingo (Euphoria and the upcoming The Color Purple) as the influential leader. It's directed by George C. Wolfe (who is, like both Rustin and Domingo, a gay Black man). And the film's executive producers include former Washington residents Barack and Michelle Obama, through their Higher Ground productions.

Rustin releases on Netflix globally on November 17.

Topics Activism Netflix Trailers

Caitlin Welsh

Caitlin is Mashable's Australian Editor. She has written for The Guardian, Junkee, and any number of plucky little music and culture publications that were run on the smell of an oily rag and have since been flushed off the Internet like a dead goldfish by their new owners. She also worked at Choice, Australia's consumer advocacy non-profit and magazine, and as such has surprisingly strong opinions about whitegoods. She enjoys big dumb action movies, big clever action movies, cult Canadian comedies set in small towns, Carly Rae Jepsen, The Replacements, smoky mezcal, revenge bedtime procrastination, and being left the hell alone when she's reading.