One of the most important figures of the American civil rights movement, Bayard Rustin taught Martin Luther King Jr. the methods of Gandhi, spearheaded the 1963 March on Washington, and helped bring the struggle of African Americans to the forefront of a nations consciousness. But despite his incontrovertibly integral role in the movement, the openly gay Rustin is not the household name that many of his activist contemporaries are. In exploring historys Lost Prophet, acclaimed historian John DEmilio explains why Rustins influence was minimized by his peers and why his brilliant strategies were not followed, or were followed by those he never meant to help.