Description:

Bayard Rustin
Dar es Salaam, Tanganyika, February 17, 1963
March On Washington Organizer Bayard Rustin 2x Signed ALS. Possibly Unique!
ALS

Extremely Rare, and possibly unique, autograph letter signed by civil rights titan Bayard Rustin, written from Dar es Salaam, Tanganyika (modern-day Tanzania) and dated February 17, 1963, just weeks before he returned to the United States to lead the planning of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom." Written in blue ink on an official Air Mail letter sheet, this letter is signed twice: once in full at the close, "With affection, Bayard Rustin," and again on the air letter cover as "Rustin" next to the sender's address. Addressed to the Medina Art Gallery in New York City. The letter remains complete and legible, with expected mailing folds, light wear, small edge chips, and separation along the central fold. A Tanganyika 30¢ stamp remains affixed at top right. The letter measures 8" x 9.5".

In the letter, Rustin reflects on education and independence in East Africa, his imminent return to the U.S., and the painful removal of African cultural treasures to the West. In part:

"My work here will be over within a week. Then on to London for a few day[s] and back home, I trust, by March 1st.

It is really amazing how much energy recently independent people have... the percentage of children in schools has risen over 200%.

But alas the most lovely african [sic] works of art are not here but in New York. The Vice President asked me the other day if I would buy things there (New York) that originally came from here for their tiny museum…"

In 2023, Barack and Michelle Obama, through their production company Higher Ground, released the critically acclaimed biographical film Rustin, which tells the story of Bayard Rustin, the visionary organizer behind the 1963 March on Washington. The film, directed by George C. Wolfe and starring Colman Domingo in a powerful lead performance, brings long-overdue attention to Rustin's pivotal yet often overlooked role in the Civil Rights Movement. Speaking about the project, President Obama highlighted Rustin's legacy, saying, "We hope that by telling his story, more people will understand what an extraordinary leader he was, and how much he did to lay the foundation for the civil rights victories that followed."

Bayard Rustin (1912–1987), one of the most influential yet often overlooked figures of the American Civil Rights Movement, was a lifelong pacifist and master strategist who championed nonviolent resistance long before it became mainstream. By the time he wrote this letter, he had already led groundbreaking initiatives such as the 1947 Journey of Reconciliation, a forerunner to the Freedom Rides. Just days later, upon returning to the United States, Rustin was handed full operational control of the upcoming March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom by A. Philip Randolph, its founder and Rustin's longtime collaborator. With only 11 weeks to prepare, Rustin orchestrated every detail of the March with astonishing precision, coordinating over 200 staff and volunteers, managing national publicity and church fundraising, arranging massive transportation logistics, drafting and distributing organizing manuals, designing a system of nonviolent marshals, and even overseeing essentials like the sound system and sanitation. Though initial projections estimated 100,000 participants, Rustin's extraordinary planning brought over 250,000 peaceful demonstrators, 190,000 Black and 60,000 white, to the Lincoln Memorial on August 28, 1963, in what became one of the most iconic and flawlessly executed protests in American history.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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  • Dimensions: 8" x 9.5"
  • Medium: ALS

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November 19, 2025 10:00 AM EST
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