Bayard Rustin deserves recognition alongside the prominent figures of the Civil Rights Movement. As a master strategist, pacifist, and mentor to Martin Luther King Jr., Rustin was instrumental in organizing the 1963 March on Washington, which remains one of the most significant demonstrations in American history.

The Kansas State Colored Convention was not just a fleeting event; it was a formative movement. This powerful assembly signified that Black people have always organized to not just survive but actively shape America.