February is national Black History Month, and the Anchorage Urban League is co-sponsoring a showing and discussion of Brother Outsider: The Life of Bayard Rustin at the Anchorage Museum, along with Identity, the ACLU of Alaska and other sponsors.

Brother Outsider illuminates the life and work of Bayard Rustin, a visionary activist and strategist who has been called “the unknown hero” of the civil rights movement. The architect of the legendary 1963 March on Washington, and organizer of the Selma Bus Boycott, Rustin dared to live as an openly gay man during the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s. “Brother Outsider” reveals the price that Rustin paid for this openness, chronicling both the triumphs and setbacks of his remarkable 60-year career.

Another local event celebrating the lives of Black people in American is “I Draw the Line … on Ignorance, Racism, Violence and Hatred,” a juried show of teenage artists, on display through March 1 at the Museum. It includes Jacob Hakala’s vibrant “Peel,” a rainbow-colored banana leaping out of its peel while another fruit hides her eyes.

On the national scene, In The Life’s February program explores three aspects of the LGBT African-American community. Segments include New York Gov. David Paterson on the struggle for gay civil rights, community activist Bernie McAlister and his “House of Jourdan,” and filmmaker Abigail Child with four young men living On the Downlow.

In The Life is the monthly gay and lesbian news magazine that we hope our public television station KAKM will broadcast again. Clips from the show are posted on In The Life TV.

The National Black Justice Coalition is planning to unveil a big LGBT Black History Month project this week. NBJC is a civil rights organization dedicated to empowering Black lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people.

How many famous LGBT Black Americans can you name? Check out this list of historical and contemporary LGBT leaders of African Descent.

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The winner of more than 20 awards, Brother Outsider is showing at the Anchorage Museum on Saturday, Feb. 21 with a discussion following the movie, and on Sunday, Feb. 22, both showings at 6 p.m. The evenings are sponsored by the ACLU of Alaska, the Anchorage Equal Rights Commission, the Anchorage Museum, the Anchorage Urban League, Identity, Inc. and the Municipality of Anchorage Diversity Council.

Photo credit: Bayard Rustin at news briefing on the Civil Rights March on Washington in the Statler Hotel. 27 Aug 1963. Cropped version of photo by Warren K. Leffler. Library of Congress via Wikimedia Commons.