Speaking before a standing-room-only crowd in Wittenberg University's historic Weaver Chapel, The Rev. James Lawson discussed the current status of the civil rights movement in America in a well-received keynote address for the Wittenberg Series-sponsored Martin Luther King Jr. Day Commemorative Convocation.
Lawson's presentation was titled "Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community?" In it, he argued that while the civil rights advancements of the last 50 years have been significant, we now stand at a crossroads not unlike one faced by this nation's founding fathers in the latter part of the 18th century.
"We ought to honor the first revolution of America in 1776, but honor it as a vision and a provocation to not be contented with who we are or where we are or what we are and to press all leadership of our nation of all institutions - religious or political or economic - to make a cardinal value," said Lawson, who King once hailed as "the leading theorist and strategist of nonviolence in the world." "The exceptionality of all human life and all human species, and the necessity of our learning to use the wisdom of the past and the knowledge of the present, not for domination and control of others but for unleashing the massive possibilities of human life here and now."
Born in Pennsylvania but raised in Massillon, Ohio, Lawson is well known in the civil rights community as a former advisor to King. Together, they were at the forefront of the civil rights struggles of the 1960s, conducting sit-ins that forced integration in the South. Lawson continues his work today, telling the Los Angeles Times in 2004 that "the nation must still face up to the ‘spiritual forces' of poverty, violence and sexism."
Lawson retired in 1999 as senior pastor of the Holman United Methodist Church in Los Angeles, and he also served two terms as president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, a group founded by King. Lawson has served as chairman of Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice and as chairman of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) Advisory Council, and he has been a Distinguished University Professor at Vanderbilt in Nashville, Tenn., since 2008.
Established prior to the 1989-90 school year, the Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Convocation features an academic procession with faculty in full regalia. Lawson was introduced by Concerned Black Students President Chaunta Banks, class of 2013 from Columbus, Ohio, and the event also featured an uplifting musical performance by Wittenberg's gospel choir IMANI, conducted by Kent Brooks.
Following the convocation, there was a Unity Luncheon and then a question-and-answer session with Lawson.
The Wittenberg Series brings distinguished lecturers and performing artists of national and international prominence to the Wittenberg campus and Springfield community. To make special arrangements, reserve a Series poster, or become a friend of the Wittenberg Series, contact Jeannine Fox at 937-327-7470 or via email at jfox@wittenberg.edu.
Written By: Ryan Maurer
Video By: Clark Goodman ’12
