In this inspiring interview, Emily Yellin, acclaimed journalist and life long friend, shares her profound journey of documenting Rev James Lawson’s life, his unwavering commitment to nonviolence, and the power of love in the struggle for justice. Rev Lawson, whom Dr Martin Luther King Jr described as "the leading theorist and strategist of nonviolence in the world" was in many ways the architect of the American Freedom Movement. For over 50 years Rev Lawson resisted, agitated and loved his way through the darkness of American racism, imperialism and state violence, paving the way for thousands to follow in his footsteps.
As we explore Emily Yellin’s profound new book, “Nonviolence: A Memoir of Resistance, Agitation, and Love” which she co-authored with Lawson in the year’s before his passing in 2024, we traverse Lawson’s story, spirituality, philosophy of nonviolence, and enduring influence on social justice practitioners and movements today.
ABOUT EMILY YELLIN
Emily Yellin is a journalist, writer, and producer. A longtime contributor to The New York Times and author of two other books, she produced a ten-part video series, 1,300 Men: Memphis Strike ‘68, for The Root. She first met Rev. Lawson when she was five, while attending elementary school in Memphis with his eldest son, John.
ABOUT THE BOOK -
NONVIOLENT: A MEMOIR OF RESISTANCE, AGITATION AND LOVE.
“This book is a gift to be treasured, from a man who has already given so much.”
Jonathan Eig (Pulitzer Prize–winning author of King: A Life)
“An expansive, inspiring autobiography by a crucial figure in the Civil Rights Movement.”
Kirkus Starred Review
“Engrossing...a soul-stirring testament to the transformative power of leading with love”
Publishers Weekly Starred Review
Rev. Lawson was one of the most influential yet unheralded heroes of the civil rights era. He rose as a strategist, teacher, and organizer in pivotal campaigns on the national stage against racial and economic injustice.
Lawson’s memoir spans 95 years, but it begins far from the spotlight in a large, working-class Ohio family. The son and grandson of Methodist ministers, he receives his license to preach before graduating from high school.
Lawson goes on to serve time in prison for refusing the Korean War draft, and learns from independence movements during three years in India and Africa. He then fortifies the principles of a new American Revolution when he teaches nonviolent direct action centered in love and moral clarity to the Little Rock Nine, the Mississippi Freedom Summer volunteers, and countless others. He also becomes a leader in the 1960 Nashville sit-ins, the 1963 Birmingham campaign, the 1966 Meredith March Against Fear, and the 1968 Memphis sanitation workers’ strike.
Nonviolent delivers an intimate self-portrait of Lawson as a man who recognized the inherent dignity of everyone, and challenged all forms of violence, including police brutality, enforced poverty, and what he called plantation capitalism. It shows his quest for justice continuing in Los Angeles well into the 21st century, as he helped foster a more inclusive labor movement and an enduring immigrant rights movement.
Nonviolent is a riveting historical narrative from a central figure in global liberation and a testament to compelling a nation to live up to its founding ideals of liberty and justice for all.
Buy the book!
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