A BETTER WAY:
James Lawson, Architect of Nonviolence
(working title)
The Authorized Documentary on Rev. James Lawson, Jr.
Dear Friends,
In the midst of the terrible violence and repression escalating in the U.S. and throughout the World House we are writing from a place of hope. Rev. Lawson’s teachings of Love in Action are fiercely needed and we are pleased to share some of his impact that we will be including in the documentary.
We are completing our filming process and have begun post-production with our new editor, Steven Golliday. There is a tremendous amount of archival research and management of materials for this film, and we hope to be able to hire an Archival Producer to provide additional leadership. At this moment of expanding our filmmaking team we thank you for your many kinds of support, including spreading the word! If you are able to financially support the film, tax-deductible donations can be made through the International Documentary Association. Please click HERE to donate and email us at RevJamesLawsonFilm@gmail.com to learn about becoming a sponsor.
Thank you!
Karen Hayes
Producer/Director
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
We were all incredibly inspired by the courageous stand that Representatives Justin Jones and Justin Pearson recently took against gun violence, leading to their expulsion and then reinstatement to the Tennessee House. We had the pleasure of interviewing Rep. Jones in April of 2022, when he was studying at the James Lawson Institute for the Research and Study of Nonviolent Movements at Vanderbilt University. He counts Rev. Lawson among his mentors and shared ways that Rev. Lawson and the 1960s movements have impacted his activism as he carries on Nonviolent Direct Action campaigns for justice. Here is a 1 minute excerpt from his interview. VIDEO and Password: rjldocjj
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
REV. LAWSON AT CAL STATE NORTHRIDGE
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
For many years Reverend Lawson has been a popular and impactful teacher and lecturer, including here in Los Angeles, where he has lectured thousands of students at UCLA and CSUN on nonviolent struggles and justice. On March 28, we were excited to film, “Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community?” a public lecture he gave as part of CSUN’s Distinguished Lecture series. We also filmed the opening day of “Nonviolence and Social Movements,” a course he co-teaches with UCLA’s Labor Center director, Kent Wong. Not one to slow down, on May 17, Reverend Lawson plans to speak at a major rally at UCLA calling for the University of California to hire undocumented students. This day also marks the anniversary of Brown vs Board of Education, so Rev Lawson will be addressing the link between denial of educational opportunities then and now. Our crew plans to be there to capture Rev Lawson in action.
REV. LAWSON AT UCLA
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
ARCHIVAL RESEARCH
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
At 94, Reverend Lawson has led a rich and active life, one that has intersected with historic figures and spanned multiple continents. To help tell his story and capture his decades of service and activism, we’re fortunate to have access to the James Lawson Collection – a rich and fascinating trove of personal photos, correspondences, lectures, publications, and other ephemera that’s been digitized and is housed in Special Collections at Vanderbilt University. We’re grateful to the librarians at Vanderbilt and to our researcher Shani Miller, who has been guiding us through the archival research process. Shani is a media archivist who has years of experience working on archival projects at various academic and cultural heritage institutions in the Los Angeles area. We’re also grateful to Vivian Rothstein who gave us access to UCLA Labor Center’s archive on UNITE 11 and the Los Angeles Labor movement
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Bottom right: Producer Pamela Tom and Rev. James Lawson.
Rev. Lawson’s story and nonviolence strategies remain as relevant as ever.
There is an urgency to getting this film made and shared with the world.
Thank you for taking this important journey with us!
Please send us an email for more information: revjameslawsonfilm@gmail.com Thank you!