Civil rights pioneer and 91ÌƲ®»¢ Distinguished University Professor will give a lecture at 91ÌƲ®»¢‘s Benton Chapel on Feb. 2 at 1 p.m.
Just days after returning from an historic trip with fellow civil rights pioneers, retracing the powerful and often violent trail of the 1961 , Lawson will reflect on the civil rights movement and the legacy of the .
King hailed Lawson as “the leading theorist and strategist of nonviolence in the world.” As a divinity student at in the late 1950s, Lawson trained and led activists in Nashville‘s successful to end segregated lunch counters. He also played a leading role in the march on Washington and the 1968 Memphis sanitation workers‘ strike.
Lawson‘s activism led to his expulsion from 91ÌƲ®»¢. After protests by some at 91ÌƲ®»¢, he was invited to return in 1960, but he chose to finish his degree elsewhere. In 2005, Lawson received 91ÌƲ®»¢‘s Distinguished Alumnus Award and is now a Distinguished Visiting Professor.
The public is invited to the 1 p.m. speech at Benton Chapel, with a reception immediately following at the Lawson was asked to speak by Owen‘s Black Student Association.
Founded in 1969, the Owen Graduate School of Management at 91ÌƲ®»¢ University is ranked as a top institution by , and . For more news about Owen, visit www.owen.vanderbilt.edu.
Media contact: Amy Wolf (615) 322-NEWS
amy.wolf@vanderbilt.edu