Martin Luther King Jr. paid tribute by peer

  ANGIE LEVINE/Daily Bruin Rev. James M. Lawson
Jr., called the "teacher of civil rights," paid tribute to
Martin Luther King Jr. with a lecture in Hershey Hall Tuesday.

By Christian Mignot
Daily Bruin Contributor

Rev. James M. Lawson Jr., the man who first introduced Dr.
Martin Luther King Jr. to the philosophy of nonviolence, gave a
presentation on King Tuesday night to honor his birthday ““ a
week before the national holiday dedicated to the Civil Rights
Movement leader.

The tribute was the opening lecture for a new two-quarter course
titled “Nonviolence and Social Movements: A Theory and
Practice for Social Change,” taught by Lawson.

Organized and presented by the UCLA Labor Center, the seminar
will focus on the theory, history and implications of nonviolent
direct action, studying cases such as the Civil Rights and the
Women’s Movements.

The class has a unique format, with 50 percent of enrollment
consisting of leaders of community organizations, labor unions and
civil rights groups.

“This class provides a historic opportunity for college
students today to learn from one of the finest leaders of the Civil
Rights Movement,” said Kent Wong, director of the UCLA Center
for Labor Research and Education.

Lawson, whose long friendship with King began when they first
met in February 1957, became an instrumental figure in the Civil
Rights Movement in the late 1950s, teaching nonviolent theory in
workshops and organizing protests and sit-ins in Birmingham, Little
Rock and Nashville.

“Martin was one of the most exemplary human beings I have
ever known,” Lawson said. “He was perhaps the first man
to ever lend his voice to the struggle of ordinary
people.”

Since those days, Lawson has taught throughout the nation,
speaking at more than 200 universities and working with
organizations like the American Civil Liberties Union and the
National Council of the Fellowship of Reconciliation.

“It is critical for courses such as this to be taught at
universities,” Lawson said. “The students must realize
that they all have the capacity to join struggles for economic and
social justice and to seek their resolution through nonviolent
means.”

Living in Los Angeles for the last 27 years, Lawson recently
retired as pastor at the Holman Methodist Church. He has spoken
several times at UCLA during rallies against apartheid and
supporting affirmative action movements, but this is the first time
he will teach a class.

“I remember watching a video of Rev. Lawson teaching a
class on nonviolent protest 20 years ago,” said Paul Padilla,
a fifth-year Chicana/o studies student. “To see him teach
exactly the same theory now, many years down the track, makes me
feel like I am witnessing living history and listening to a living
legend.”

The seminar features a second quarter component that requires
students to organize and launch non-violent social justice
campaigns in Los Angeles. These will culminate with a citywide
Conference on Nonviolence Conflict at UCLA on June 1.