Memphis, TN, June 09, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The National Civil Rights Museum today publicly launched the Bayard Rustin Institute, a permanent hub for scholarship, education, exhibitions, and civic engagement grounded in the life, teachings, and organizing philosophy of civil rights architect Bayard Rustin. The Institute launches with the support of the Lilly Endowment, whose grant specifically supports exploration of the deeply held religious beliefs and nonviolent strategies that defined Rustin’s legacy.
“The Bayard Rustin Institute is not a commemoration. It is a curriculum, a blueprint,” said Museum President, Dr. Russ Wigginton. “Rustin designed the tools that made the movement work, and this Institute exists to put those tools back in people’s hands.”
The Institute is anchored by the museum’s newly acquired Rustin Collection — primary source materials including correspondence, organizing documents, and records that illuminate Rustin’s role as one of the twentieth century’s most consequential but least recognized movement architects. The Collection will serve as a living scholarly resource, available to researchers, educators, and students.
About Bayard Rustin
Bayard Rustin organized the 1963 March on Washington — one of the most complex acts of civic coordination in American history — in fewer than eight weeks. A disciple of Gandhi’s nonviolent discipline and a practicing Quaker, Rustin believed that faith without action was insufficient and that strategic nonviolence was a learnable method rather than a mood. He was pushed from public view in part because of his identity as a gay man. The Bayard Rustin Institute restores him to his full stature: not as a footnote, but as a teacher whose method remains urgently relevant.
Institute Partners
The Institute launches in active collaboration with three founding partner organizations:
- MICAH (Memphis Interfaith Coalition for Action and Hope) serves as the Institute’s interfaith organizing partner, rooted in the Memphis community and the tradition of faith-based social action.
- BRIDGES Youth Action Center empowers young organizers through the Bayard Rustin Social Change Fellowship, building skills in storytelling, nonviolence, and strategic action.
- Gamaliel is a national faith-based organizing network that extends the Institute’s reach and grounds its curriculum in field-tested organizing methodology.
Inaugural Programs
In partnership with the BRIDGES Youth Action Center, the Institute introduces the:
- Rustin Social Change Fellowship (2026) — A six-month youth leadership fellowship rooted in Bayard Rustin’s philosophy of nonviolent social change and collective action. Inaugural fellows Maya Brown (University High School) and Carlos Watkins (East High School) will develop and lead community-based social change campaigns while engaging with local leaders and movement-building strategies.
- Community Training (2026) — In partnership with MICAH, the Institute is integrating Rustin’s philosophy, organizing principles, and legacy into leadership development and civic engagement programs. Throughout 2026, the collaboration will strengthen existing trainings and co-create future offerings that equip individuals and communities to advance justice and equity.
- Rustin Lecture Series (Fall 2026) — Launching this fall, this signature public engagement series will explore Bayard Rustin’s influence on contemporary movements for justice, democracy, and human rights through moderated conversations and fireside chats featuring scholars, activists, elected officials, faith leaders, and cultural influencers. Developed in partnership with scholar-in-residence Dr. Luther D. Ivory, former professor of religious studies and director of African American Studies at Rhodes College.
- Rustin Traveling Exhibition (2027) – A traveling exhibition on Rustin’s life and legacy will launch in 2027, extending the Institute’s reach to partner institutions nationwide. Using artifacts and scholarship from the Museum’s Rustin Estate acquisition, the exhibition will be hosted in nontraditional community venues to expand accessibility.
For more information about the Bayard Rustin Institute, contact Arlinda Fair Cathey, Director of Programs and the Bayard Rustin Institute, at acathey@civilrightsmuseum.org or visit bayardrustininstitute.org.
About the National Civil Rights Museum
The NATIONAL CIVIL RIGHTS MUSEUM, located at the historic Lorraine Motel where civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated, gives a comprehensive overview of the American Civil Rights Movement from slavery to the present. Since the Museum opened in 1991, millions of visitors from around the world have come annually. The Museum is steadfast in its mission to honor and preserve the site of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s assassination. It chronicles the American civil rights movement and the ongoing struggle for human rights, serving as a catalyst to inspire action and create positive social change. A Smithsonian Affiliate and an internationally acclaimed cultural institution, the Museum is recognized as a National Medal Award recipient by the Institute of Museums and Library Services (IMLS), the top national honor for museums and libraries.
Connie Dyson National Civil Rights Museum 901-527-1225 cdyson@civilrightsmuseum.org
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