bayard rustin residency 2025-2026

“My activism did not spring from my being gay, or, for that matter, from my being black. Rather, it is rooted fundamentally in my Quaker upbringing and the values that were instilled in me by my grandparents who reared me.” – Bayard Rustin

As of Dec 9th, 2024, we are currently accepting applications for the 2025-2026 Bayard Rustin Residency. This is our 5th Bayard Rustin Residency and will run from September 2025 to September 2026.

Building on the social activist history of Penington’s founders, original board, and later residents, the Bayard Rustin Residency at Penington Friends House (PFH) is envisioned as an ongoing ladder to empowerment for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) working to end Systemic Racism and to create a culture of anti-Racism and intersectional equality in the United States of America. It is also intended to extend and strengthen the wider Quaker witness to equality.

Beginning in September of 2025, this residency will provide up to one year of room and board to a person who demonstrates a strong project that addresses ending Systemic Racism and who has a necessity to be in New York City for up to one year. They will reside at the Penington Friends House located in New York City’s Lower East Side of Manhattan. The Bayard Rustin Resident will demonstrate a need to live in Manhattan. Areas of focus of their work can include activism in the arts, policy change, human rights, community organizing, and other areas of activism focusing on ending racism and strengthening equality. Residents will meet regularly with the Residency Manager and will be expected to share their progress with the New York City community in the form of presentations or workshops.

The resident does not have to be Quaker but their work should be shaped by and in harmony with our tenets of Simplicity, Peace, Integrity, Community, Equality, and Stewardship. The resident will be expected to be a full-time resident of PFH and be participating member of this intentional community. This includes eating chef prepared dinners with the other residents and participating in shared light house chores. ( 1 1/2 hour commitment per week on average.)

Here are a few types of artists and activists activities that we would be interested in considering:

• An artist working on a body of art that addresses racism and/or intersectional issues.
• A writer working on a new book, play, screenplay, or collection that addresses racism and/or intersectional issues.
• A performer creating a new dance piece that addresses racism and/or intersectional issues.
• A community based artist designing or carrying out a community based project that addresses racism and/or intersectional issues.
• An activist organizing communities to address racism and/or intersectional issues.
• A social entrepreneur that is starting a non-profit focused on addressing racism and/or intersectional issues.
• An inventor or designer working on solving a problem associated with systemic racism and/or intersectional issues.
• A graduate student that has a strong and well defined anti-racism project that needs support and time to launch.