Summary
Activist Bayard Rustin faces racism and homophobia as he helps change the course of Civil Rights history by orchestrating the 1963 March on Washington.
Cast
Colman Domingo
Bayard Rustin
Aml Ameen
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Glynn Turman
A. Philip Randolph
Chris Rock
Roy Wilkins
Gus Halper
Tom
Johnny Ramey
Elias Taylor
CCH Pounder
Dr. Anna Hedgeman
Michael Potts
Cleve Robinson
Audra McDonald
Ella Baker
Jeffrey Wright
Rep. Adam Clayton Powell
Lilli Kay
Rachelle
Jordan-Amanda Hall
Charlene
Jakeem Dante Powell
Norm
Ayana Workman
Eleanor
Grantham Coleman
Blyden
Jamilah Rosemond
Dorie
Jules Latimer
Joyce
Maxwell Whittington-Cooper
John Lewis
Frank Harts
Jim Farmer
Kevin Mambo
Whitney Young
Carra Patterson
Coretta Scott King
Da'Vine Joy Randolph
Mahalia Jackson
Adrienne Warren
Claudia Taylor
Bill Irwin
A. J. Muste
Jamar Williams
Tyrone
Hope Clarke
Lucille Randolph
Zuri Starks
Girl One
Delmiko Blair
Man One
Rashad Edwards
Medgar Evers
Gab Cody
Female Staffer
Dan Sauer
Male Staffer Jim
Johanna McGinley
TN Mother
Jeff Hochendoner
TN Officer
Phoenix Southwood
Dexter
Isabela Spurlock
Yolanda
Amir Carr
Martin III
Jeffrey Jordan
Courtney
Melissa Rakiro
Yvette
Cotter Smith
Chief Wells
Ivan Moore
Bill Johnson
Jimmy Bopp
Engineer One
Michael Alban
March Journalist
Dan De Luca
March Journalist
John Judy
March Journalist
Robert S. Gregory
Union Guy
Scott Deal
TN Bus Driver
Drayton Walker
Little Stevie Wonder
Chris Blount
Charles
Ashton Rogers
Pasadena Boy #1
George Kelly
Pasadena Boy #2
Rob Pfleghardt
Joachim Prinz
Christopher Anglim
Rev. Eugene Carson Blake
Devin Doolan
Walter Reuther
Marlon Bradley Ray
Floyd McKissick
Gemma Davimes
Team Member
Alexis Evangelista
Team Member
Alexis Hester
Team Member
Mario Latronica-Gerlach
Team Member
Marissa Lily
Team Member
Mia Sterbini
Team Member
Valena Zitello
Team Member
Chelsie Grant
Team Member
Janet K. Lawrence
Team Member
Corvynne Mikell
Team Member
Jana Glover
Team Member
Alexis Holt
Petite Black Girl
Emily H. Gilson
Little Rock White Girl
Jackie Diehl
Little Rock White Girl
Kyra Radomsky
Little Rock White Girl
Cadence Reese
Little Black Girl
Chanel Minnifield
Lunch Counter Activist
Zoë Bowen Smith
Lunch Counter Activist
Hunter Ringsmith
Lunch Counter Activist
Alexander Ramirez
Hooligan
Declan Thomas Desmond
Hooligan
Taylor Isaac Gray
Hooligan
Collin Antrim Miller
Hooligan
Jordan Aaron Hall
Teen Boy Singing
Cal Mitchell
Teen Boy Singing
Kedrick Faulk
Teen Boy Singing
Kobe Brown
Teen Boy Singing
Eli Derby
Teen Boy Singing
Jordan McNeal
Teen Boy Singing
Deryck Tynes
Gospel Pianist
Sam McCrea
Reporter (uncredited)
Wain Jenkins
Harlem Pedestrian (uncredited)
Ivy Lightsey
Mean Girl (uncredited)
Crew
Director
George C. Wolfe
Screenplay
Dustin Lance Black
Screenplay, Story
Julian Breece
Reviews
Brent_Marchant
November 19, 2023
7
Unsung heroes often don’t get their day. Fortunately, however, for civil rights activist Bayard Rustin (Colman Domingo), principal organizer of the 1963 March on Washington, he’s finally getting his due in this new biopic about the many challenges he faced in bringing this event into being. The flamboyant, outspoken, Black gay organizer faced much opposition to his proposal, including, surprisingly enough, from an African-American community that was apprehensive about the message his appointment and presence would send to a still-reluctant public in its support for equal rights measures, including such noteworthy figures as NAACP leader Roy Wilkins (Chris Rock) and Congressman Adam Clayton Powell Jr. (Jeffrey Wright). Things were even tense at times between Rustin and his longtime friend, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (Aml Ameen), for whom Rustin once served as his chief aide and advisor. Then there was Rustin’s sexual orientation, a matter he didn’t exactly hide, especially in his less-than-discreet relationship with married preacher Elias Taylor (Johnny Ramey), something other activists feared could undo all the progress they had made up to that time. But, as a determined champion, Rustin forged ahead, despite these hardships, culminating in the largest peaceful protest ever staged in the nation’s capital. To the film’s credit, director George C. Wolfe has compiled an informative period piece biography, even if the approach is somewhat conventional and, admittedly, gets off to a rather rocky start in the first half hour. However, that’s made up for by a strong second half and the picture’s powerhouse cast, including Domingo (a strong Oscar nominee contender), Wright and Ameen, as well as Glynn Turman and CCH Pounder in fine supporting performances. While this offering may not be everything it could have been, “Rustin” nevertheless reminds us of what so many people fought so hard to achieve – and why it’s so important that we strive to protect those accomplishments against backsliding and those who might seek to undermine the fulfillment of those much-cherished attainments.
