Rev. James Lawson Jr. was a central figure of the Civil Rights Movement, whose efforts in that period have been documented. An upcoming memoir from the late activist and professor, Nonviolent, arrives on shelves this month and delves into Rev. James Lawson Jr.’s life and work within the nonviolent resistance movement and beyond.
Nonviolent: A Memoir of Resistance, Agitation, and Love is the title of Rev. James Lawson Jr.’s memoir, with journalist and author Emily Yellin bringing Lawson’s journey to life. The memoir spans the entire scope of the late Lawson’s 95 years on Earth, starting with his early days in Ohio and encountering racism at a young age.
Further, Nonviolent reveals Lawson’s path to nonviolent resistance, which began after visiting India in the mid-1950s on a Methodist missionary trip where he was inspired by Mahatma Gandhi’s practice of “satyagraha,” which the Indian leader taught as peaceful resistance to British rule in his homeland.
While attending the Graduate School of Theology at Ohio’s Oberlin College, a professor introduced Lawson to Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., who was also inspired by Gandhi’s teachings.
Moving south at the behest of King, Lawson held nonviolence resistance workshops, leading to the 1960 Nashville lunch counter sit-ins. John Lewis, Diane Nash, Bernard LaFayette, and James Bevel all attended the workshops, planting the seed for the formation of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC).
Beyond his significant contributions to civil rights, Lawson moved to Los Angeles in the 1970s and became the pastor for Holman United Methodist Church. His time in California involved the leader applying the lessons he learned in Tennessee and the Deep South to the rise of the labor movement in Los Angeles and its burgeoning immigrant worker community.
Lawson’s tireless bent for justice by peaceful resistance continued well into his later years and at the turn of the century, serving as a mentor for groups such as the Movement for Black Lives, among others. Lawson was also a visiting scholar at California State University-Northridge, leading the Civil Discourse and Social Change and teaching a semester-long course.
Nonviolent: A Memoir of Resistance, Agitation, and Love will be released by Penguin Random House on Feb. 17, 2026, and features a foreword from Princeton professor Eddie S. Glaude Jr.
Learn more about the book here.
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