Rustin: A film by George C. Wolfe

Rustin: A Film by George C. Wolfe sheds light on Bayard Rustin, the unsung hero behind the 1963 March on Washington, directed by George C. Wolfe and featuring Colman Domingo. Rustin, a fearless activist, challenged authority without apology and made history, only to be forgotten. The film, produced by Bruce Cohen and supported by a star-studded cast including Chris Rock and Audra McDonald, captures Rustin's journey alongside civil rights giants. The book, guided by Thulani Davis, provides an in-depth behind-the-scenes glimpse, delving into the real-life heroes who inspired the civil rights movement. Accompanied by visuals and contributions from George C. Wolfe, Michelle Obama, and Walter Naegle, Rustin's partner, the title pays homage to a remarkable filmmaker, a committed cast and crew, and a man who bravely stood for what is right.

Thulani Davis is an interdisciplinary artist and scholar who is an associate professor and a Nellie Y. McKay Fellow in the African American Studies Department at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She has had a long career in journalism while creating work in poetry and theater that includes plays and libretti for four operas. She has written the scripts for several award-winning documentaries, including Louis Massiah’s W. E. B. Du Bois: A Biography in Four Voices (1996) and Massiah’s short film In Ragtime: James Reese Europe (2011), and she developed the concept for Blackside’s series I’ll Make Me a World: A Century of African American Arts (1999). She also wrote the script for the narrative film Paid in Full (2002). She is the author of six books, the most recent of which is The Emancipation Circuit: Black Activism Forging a Culture of Freedom (2022).