Bayard and Martin: A Historical Novel About Friendship and the Civil Rights Movement

The novel provides the country with an outstanding rendition of the relationship between Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the Gay activist Bayard Rustin. It takes the reader on a journey that begins in January 1956, when Rustin arrives in Montgomery, Alabama to instruct Dr. King and his followers on how best to utilize the concept of non-violence, as an effective tool to fight the evils of segregation. It continues as Rustin draws up the organizational structure for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and continues as Rustin organizes and coordinates the most famous march in this country's history, the 1963 March for Jobs and Justice in Washington, D.C. There never would have been Dr. King's, "I have a dream speech," delivered that day from the Lincoln Memorial if not for Rustin's organizational skills. In this novel, the authors point out that Human Rights is a value that all people are guaranteed in this country, if we can only get beyond the petty prejudices that still exist. They also answer the question would Dr. King have considered the Gay Movement a civil rights issue? That answer is a resounding yes. For the history buff and readers who want to spend time reading a novel that educates, entertains and empowers, this novel is a must read.