The Reverend James Lawson (Boston University, ’60)—renowned civil rights activist and former Vanderbilt student—died June 9, 2024, at the age of 95. Lawson was an active leader in the civil rights movement and was expelled from Vanderbilt in 1960 after participating in sit-in protests in Nashville. Lawson was a close advisor to Martin Luther King Jr. He led workshops to train activists, including John Lewis and Diane Nash, in the art of nonviolent protest—resulting in Nashville becoming the first major city in the South with a desegregated city center.
Lawson was born on September 22, 1928, in Ohio, where he earned a minister’s license while in high school. A devout pacifist, he served as a Methodist minister in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1962 after receiving his theology degree from Boston University in 1960. Lawson’s wife, Dorothy Wood Lawson, worked as an organizer for the NAACP until the two moved to Los Angeles in 1974. There, Lawson continued to work as a minister and contributed to civil rights movements, joining the labor movement as part of the ACLU and movements promoting reproductive choice and LGBTQ+ rights.
James Lawson Institute
In 2022, Lawson helped launch the James Lawson Institute for the Research and Study of Nonviolent Movements at Vanderbilt. A partnership between the Divinity School and the College of Arts and Science, the JLI was created to promote research and education about nonviolent movements, foster partnerships with the Nashville community, and support the next generation of peaceful activists.
The JLI was founded to continue Lawson’s legacy and promote his values of nonviolence and social change in a faith-based context. Phillis Isabella Sheppard has been the Institute’s first director since its founding.
“Most of us experience this loss in a very powerful way — on a personal level, but also in the impact it has on the movement,” Sheppard said. “I think these kinds of losses can either stall a movement or propel a movement and keep it going.”
Sheppard expressed her deep gratitude for the work Lawson did during his lifetime and believes the JLI will continue his legacy by promoting nonviolent resistance.
“The bigger question is ‘how does the institute continue to deepen its roots in the university?’” Sheppard said. “For me, that includes ‘how do we continue to teach the practice of nonviolent direct action? How do we continue to do the research?’”
Lawson’s Legacy
Lawson continued his work in the pursuit of nonviolent resistance throughout his career, organizing training sessions to promote peaceful protest strategies until his death. He taught at Vanderbilt as a Distinguished Professor from 2006 to 2009 and donated his papers to the Jean and Alexander Heard Libraries’ Special Collection in 2013. Lawson also led the Civil Discourse and Social Change initiative at California State University Northridge as a visiting professor in 2010 and taught a course on nonviolent movements there for nearly 14 years.
Professor Dennis Dickerson — the Reverend James M. Lawson Chair in History — said he had a long relationship with Lawson and admired his fierce loyalty to his faith and moral values. Dickerson described Lawson’s dedication to the nonviolent movement as a “moral crusade.”
“I cherish all the interactions I’ve had with Reverend Lawson as a man of deep moral commitment and someone who is truly and inwardly immersed in the principles and practices of nonviolence,” Dickerson said. “It permeates his entire being.”
Dickerson discussed the sadness he felt when he learned of Lawson’s passing. He said it wasn’t unexpected, but he also reflected on the pain that came with the loss.
“I was personally very sad. I know he was 95, but I still wasn’t ready to let him go,” Dickerson said. “He was a good man. If you’re looking for a blueprint to get to heaven, he’s your blueprint.”
Dickerson specifically recalled hearing about Lawson’s arrest in 1960 and his dedication to pursuing justice. Dickerson said Lawson showed “unwavering moral strength” when he accepted the penalty of arrest for refusing to obey what he believed to be an unjust law.
“It’s not like this was the result of him having lived for decades — this was when he was fresh out of college,” Dickerson said. “It’s incredible.”
Lawson’s influence today
When discussing the recent pro-Palestine protests During his time on campus last spring semester, Dickerson reiterated Lawson’s commitment to his pacifist values, saying he believes Lawson would have promoted peaceful solutions while maintaining the “mutual affirmation that all life matters.”
“No matter what your business is, human life has to be respected and protected. That’s the most important thing,” Dickerson said. “People are going to be on different sides of an issue, and this issue is no different than any other issue. James Lawson would say, ‘What’s the nonviolent solution?’”
Sheppard said she hopes the protests will lead to more dialogue focused on the immediate outcomes students seek. She emphasized Lawson’s encouragement of students to write their wills during his training sessions, because he understood the critical risks protest movements pose. Sheppard said resistance tactics should be chosen for their outcome and effectiveness, and she encouraged protesters to “be in it for the long haul.”
“I think that’s something we can emphasize more — that we do risk assessments (in our training) — that we know what we’re deciding to do and what the risks are,” Sheppard said. “Because if there was no risk, there would be no need for, not just protests, but all forms of nonviolent direct action.”
VSG Vice President Ellie Kearns, a senior, said she hopes Vanderbilt students will learn from Lawson’s dedication to the nonviolent movement. Her wish is that students will continue his legacy by continuing to advocate for social change while working to “dismantle the systems of oppression” present in the world today.
“Vanderbilt’s expulsion of Reverend Lawson marks a dark moment in our school’s history. The inappropriate and/or disproportionate punishment of student protesters, including James Lawson, did not promote peace, order, or justice,” Kearns said in a message to The Hustler. “I hope the current administration will truly honor James Lawson’s contributions to the civil rights movement and broader social justice activism by encouraging nonviolent student activism, protecting students’ rights to due process, and practicing restorative justice principles when appropriate during student disciplinary proceedings.”
Sheppard stressed the importance of continuing Lawson’s work and encouraged people to consider the role of higher education in creating space for dialogue between different points of view.
“I think the commitment to continue the work of Reverend Lawson has to be critical, not just because we have an institution, but because we live in a world that is, as (Lawson) would say, hell-bent on violence,” Sheppard said.
Dickerson emphasized the importance of Lawson’s legacy and invited students to stand up for what they believe in while pursuing nonviolent solutions.
“Stand for something, and make sure that whatever you say, it affirms and values people. And make sure you don’t hurt anyone in the pursuit of the things you believe in,” Dickerson said. “That’s his legacy.”
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