Rev. James Lawson and Continuing the Nonviolent Effort

              I had the pleasure of witnessing Reverend James Lawson speak at the National Civil Rights Museum during MLK50. His speech resonated with the people as one heard the many shouts of affirmation from the captivated audience. As Lawson stood in the place of King’s assassination, he discussed the understanding of King and the work that he did. Lawson remarked that King was the Moses or Jesus of the 20^th century. This is a powerful claim that exposes the way King truly impacted the Civil Rights Movement, and the way he impacts people today. Although, his speech was directed toward the honoring of King, his speech noticeably rang with the ideology of nonviolence.

I think that his speech coincided quite nicely with the previous justice cry during the March for Our Lives. Lawson stated in his speech that it is not the guns, but it is the people that encourage a violent society. Laws went on to list homelessness, war, and poverty as examples of violence. Violence can be orchestrated different ways. Violence does not have to take the shape of physical abuse, mechanical weapons, or war. Violence operates through the United States through a system Lawson called plantation capitalism. The Unites States operates in a way that is systematically designed to place people at the bottom tier of society and prioritizes the privileged at the top. Therefore, societal issues such as homelessness and poverty can be violent because that intentionally harm marginalized persons. So as young activists and families marched the streets of Memphis only two weeks ago, they are attempting to do the work that Dr. King, according to Lawson, has been advocating for during the Civil Rights Movement, an end to violence.

Lawson ends his speech by asking for everyone to join groups and movements like the sanitation workers and Rosa Parks to help the United States become the nation it pretends to be and the nation it wants to be. The United States has created this image for itself, being equal and accepting. However, it is clear that the United States is in need of a reality check. Nonviolent direct action allows the United States to be confronted with its ugly problems, and the activists come closer and closer to correcting them. Lawson has revealed in his speech to commemorate Dr. King that the United States still has issues and has committed violent acts upon its citizens. However, it is through nonviolence that that the United States can be fixed.