Marcos Ruiz-Rojas | November 4, 2024

For more than two decades, the late civil rights icon and nonviolent theorist, the Rev. James Lawson Jr., taught one of UCLA’s Labor Studies Program’s largest and most popular courses, “Nonviolence and Social Movements.” Educating thousands of students, including community leaders and union members, the course has served as a cornerstone of the social movement-focused education that defines the program. Now, renowned historian and scholar of Black freedom struggles, Robin D.G. Kelley, will step in to continue Lawson’s legacy, leading the course starting this winter 2025.

Lawson, a close confidant of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and a leading civil rights strategist, co-developed the class based on his pioneering work in nonviolent resistance. Alongside Kent Wong, the current project director for Labor and Community Partnerships and former director of the UCLA Labor Center, Lawson created a curriculum that blends civil rights history with contemporary labor and social justice issues.

Nonviolence and social movements class origins

For the past 22 years, “Labor Studies M173: Nonviolence and Social Movements,” has offered students an in-depth exploration of nonviolent methods of direct action drawing from Lawson’s missionary training in India where he studied Mahatma Gandhi’s nonviolent philosophy. Upon returning to the United States, Lawson led an extensive career as a civil rights and labor leader. In the 1960s, Lawson trained thousands of young activists and students to stage lunch counter sit-ins, freedom rides and worker strikes, including the historic 1968 Memphis Sanitation Worker Strike. 

After moving to Los Angeles in 1974 to become pastor of Holman United Methodist Church, Lawson transformed the region’s labor movement through his leadership and trainings, influencing a new generation of social justice activists and inspiring UCLA students, faculty and staff through the teaching of this nonviolence and social movements class and his work with the UCLA Labor Center and Institute for Research on Labor and Employment.

Wong shared how he crossed paths with Lawson and the way the idea for the UCLA class originated. “We first met when I was a staff attorney at the Service Employees International Union, and we gathered a group of activists here in Los Angeles to learn from him and to study nonviolence,” he said. He recalled how this small group, known as the “Holman Group,” included now-prominent figures like María Elena Durazo, Karen Bass, and Antonio Villaraigosa, all of whom were profoundly influenced by Lawson’s teachings.

During a 2021 lecture, Lawson reflected on the course’s mission, stating, “We share a common commitment to getting the nonviolent history and theory into the public coffers where social change, personal change and the change towards equality can be made directly.”

Continuing Lawson’s legacy at UCLA

Professor Kelley, a leading scholar of social movements and Black radical thought, is well-poised to build upon the foundation Lawson laid to guide the course into its next chapter. His scholarship covers a vast range of topics, including the history of social movements in the U.S., the African Diaspora, Black Marxism and intellectuals, as well as African-American music and visual culture. His notable books include “Africa Speaks, America Answers: Modern Jazz in Revolutionary Times,” “Freedom Dreams: The Black Radical Imagination,” and “Race Rebels: Culture, Politics, and the Black Working Class.”

Kelley’s analysis of racial capitalism, state-sanctioned violence, and historical resistance movements will provide labor studies students new insights on applying nonviolent strategies to today’s social struggles.

Wong thinks Kelley is the ideal person to continue teaching future generations about Lawson’s method for social reform. “I’m thrilled that Robin D.G. Kelley, a nationally recognized scholar and activist inspired by Lawson’s work, will continue his legacy. I can’t think of a better person to lead this important course,” he said.

UCLA Labor Studies Chair Chris Zepeda-Millán also thinks the future of the course is in great hands. 

“I was absolutely thrilled when Professor Robin D.G. Kelley agreed to take on Rev. Lawson’s class,” he said. “As the preeminent Black historian in the country, Professor Kelley is a legend in his own right. He’s not only a prolific scholar, but through his research and direct experience in activism, he has also trained and inspired generations of student organizers. I can’t think of a better person than Robin D.G. Kelley to continue the legacy of this important class for not only our labor studies majors but for all UCLA students.”

Applying class lessons to contemporary struggles

UCLA students have applied nonviolent strategies to real-world issues such as immigration reform and labor rights advocacy. The course’s influence has extended beyond campus, with guest speakers including labor activist Dolores Huerta and Black Lives Matter Los Angeles co-founder Melina Abdullah. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the class moved online, reaching a wider audience through live lectures, archived on the Labor Center’s YouTube channel.

As the course continues under Kelley’s guidance, it strives to equip students with the tools necessary to navigate and influence contemporary struggles. In a time of increasing social unrest, the principles of nonviolence and social justice remain crucial, ensuring that the legacy of Rev. Lawson continues to inspire future generations.

“All the major progressive social changes that have occurred throughout U.S. history have come as a result of social movements,” Zepeda-Millán added. “You can’t understand politics or the world today without understanding the role that political activism has played in shaping them. So whether students want to get directly involved in one of the many social movements of our day, or just become more astute political observers, this class is a must-take.”