In addition to the civil rights leader Bayard Rustin, Netflix’s new movie Rustin spotlights another West Chester hero: his grandmother Julia “Ma” Rustin, writes Rosa Cartagena for The Philadelphia Inquirer. 

Bayard Rustin was the architect of the 1963 March on Washington but due to being gay, he never got the recognition he deserved. This new biopic puts the spotlight on the man who was a close adviser to the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and brings him into the forefront. 

But he is not the only one who gets highlighted in the movie. Rustin’s grandmother, Julia Rustin, or Ma, is also prominently featured in the film. 

Ma Rustin, who raised the future activist in West Chester, was a nurse, a pillar in her community, and a member of the NAACP. She hosted many civil rights thinkers in her home. 

Throughout the movie, Philadelphia native actor Colman Domingo, who plays Rustin, often recalls her wise sayings. Screenwriters Julian Breece and Dustin Lance Black crafted his dialogue in a way that made it clear Rustin’s principles were descended from his grandmother. 

Read more about Julia “Ma” Rustin in the movie in The Philadelphia Inquirer. 

______