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News Release
Contact: Tom Parisi, NIU Office of Public Affairs
(815) 753-3635
April 8, 2004
Acclaimed historian to speak on life
of civil rights activist Bayard Rustin
DeKalb, Ill. — Acclaimed historian John D'Emilio will visit NIU for a public lecture on the life of civil rights activist Bayard Rustin.
The lecture—titled "Listening to Bayard Rustin: Lessons from an Activist's Life"—will take place at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 15, in Cole Hall, Room 101.
D'Emilio's 2003 book, "Lost Prophet: Bayard Rustin and the Quest for Peace and Justice in America" was a finalist for the 2003 National Book Award. D'Emilio is a professor of history at the University of Illinois at Chicago, where he serves as director of the Gender & Women's Studies Program.
"Bayard Rustin was one of the secret heroes of the American civil rights movement," NIU History Professor David Kyvig said. "He may not be a household name but was a very important and influential figure behind the scenes."
Rustin advocated for Gandhi's philosophy of nonviolence, mentored Martin Luther King Jr. and organized the famous 1963 March on Washington. His work was largely unknown, in part because he was an African-American homosexual.
D'Emilio has written a number of other books, including the well-known "Intimate Matters: A History of Sexuality in America." That 1988 book was hailed as the first full-length study of the history of American sexuality and is frequently used in university courses nationwide.
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