Remembering Rev. James Lawson Jr. - Soul Force Part II

Re:Work by the UCLA Labor Center

Rev. James Lawson Jr. passed away on June 9, 2024. Rev. Lawson was one of the civil rights movement’s most prominent leaders and a lifelong advocate of nonviolence, soul force. He co-taught a UCLA labor studies class on nonviolence for over 20 years with our previous labor center director Kent Wong, and our building, the UCLA James Lawson Jr. Worker Justice Center, is named in his honor. As we remember Rev. Lawson and process this deep loss for our community, we are sharing our episode Soul Force Part II, in which Rev. Lawson reflects on his memories of the civil rights movement, including the profound impact of losing his friend Martin Luther King Jr. and other leaders fighting for justice. He emphasizes the importance of embracing nonviolent struggle for a better world. In 1974, Rev. Lawson moved to Los Angeles and played a pivotal role in infusing nonviolence into the Los Angeles labor movement. He has shaped decades of organizing in labor and immigrant rights, and inspired generations of students and activists. We feel the profound impact of losing Rev. Lawson, and he will be deeply missed. Let us carry on his memory, his teachings of love and soul force, and continue his work for a more just world.