Developing an American Ahimsa: The Rev. James M. Lawson Jr.'s Paradigm of Protest

Abstract

The Rev. James M. Lawson Jr. was described by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as "the leading theorist of nonviolence in America." In spite of such high praise, little research has beendone on Lawson's contribution to the creation of a nonviolent movement for racial justice inAmerica. Lawson's success at teaching ideological and tactical nonviolence was essential tosuccessful campaigns in the modern civil rights struggle, and the historical research andtheological interpretations in this essay demonstrate that Lawson's understanding ofnonviolent protest became a foundational element of the southern civil rights movement.