The Los Angeles City Council Tuesday will honor the 95th birthday of civil rights leaders Rev. James Lawson, and officially declare Friday as “Rev. James Lawson Jr. Day” annually in the city.
The Council recently passed an official resolution commemorating Lawson, and a celebration will be in Council Chambers during Tuesday’s meeting at 10 a.m. Councilman Hugo Soto-Martinez along with his colleagues Marqueece Harris-Dawson and Heather Hutt will lead the presentation, with a special appearance from state Sen. Maria Elena Durazo.
According to the resolution, Dr. Martin Luther King described Lawson as the “architect of the Civil Rights Movement.”
Lawson helped lead the historic 1960 Nashville sit-in campaign at Woolworth’s lunch counter, the Freedom Rides in 1961, and throughout the decade, and continued to organize nearly every major student sit-in, march and protest.
“Rev. Lawson’s leadership throughout the decade was instrumental in the desegregation of the South, and his teaching on nonviolence practices and civil disobedience continue to inspire generations of civil rights leaders across the country,” the resolution reads.
In 1974, Lawson moved to L.A. where he served as the pastor for the Holman United Methodist Church for 25 years. He worked with janitorial, hotel and restaurant workers to develop nonviolent tactics and supported the organizing of low-wage workers across the county.
Over the years, Lawson has spoken out against racism and violence, as well as in support of immigration rights, equal rights for the LGBTQ community, community diversity and solidarity.
Lawson taught “Nonviolence and Social Movements” at the University of California Los Angeles for more than 20 years, and he established a “strong” relationship with California State University Northridge through his involvement with the university’s Civil Discourse and Social Change Initiative.
The reverend received the UCLA Medal in 2018, the university’s highest honor, and in 2019, he was inducted into the California Hall of Fame based on the governor’s nomination.
In 2021, the UCLA James Jr. Worker Justice Center was dedicated as the permanent home for the UCLA Labor Center across from MacArthur Park.
Lawson dedicated his life to worker, racial and economic justice. He was a close colleague of King, Congressman John Lewis and other civil rights, labor, community and religious leaders.
“Rev. James Lawson Jr., Day” will acknowledge Lawson’s birthday and celebrate his “remarkable achievements to advance the philosophy of nonviolence, promote human dignity, and build a more just society,” the resolution states.