TITLE: Recognizing James Lawson for his work in the pursuit of peace and equal rights for all people.

SUMMARY: Recognizing James Lawson for his work in the pursuit of peace and equal rights for all people.

FULL TEXT:
WHEREAS, The Senate of the State of Texas is pleased to recognize Reverend James Lawson for his seminal work in the pursuit of nonviolence as a means of achieving peace and equal rights for all people; and WHEREAS, Reverend Lawson began his life of service to the cause of racial equality while attending Baldwin-Wallace College, where he joined the Fellowship of Reconciliation and the Congress of Racial Equality, organizations dedicated to nonviolent resistance to racism; and WHEREAS, He later went to Nagpur, India, as a Methodist missionary and studied the principles of nonviolent resistance developed by Mohandas Gandhi and his followers; and WHEREAS, While attending the Vanderbilt Divinity School in 1960, he organized and trained student activists and initiated a series of sit-ins to challenge segregation in Nashville's downtown business establishments; that same year, along with Ella Baker, he helped organize and found the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee; and WHEREAS, The next year, Reverend Lawson brought his brilliant organizing skills to bear in organizing the Freedom Rides; he later served as an advance staff person for the 1963 Birmingham campaign and coordinated the 1966 James Meredith march in Mississippi; and WHEREAS, Reverend Lawson served as president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and was called the leading theorist and strategist of nonviolence in the world by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.; and WHEREAS, Through the years, Reverend Lawson has taught at such institutions as Vanderbilt University and Harvard University, and he has maintained the vital work of training activists in the tactics of nonviolence; he has also continued to support such causes as workers' right to a living wage, the rights of Palestinians, and immigrants' rights in the United States; and WHEREAS, Reverend Lawson is appearing January 31 through February 2, 2011, at the Zan W. Holmes, Jr., African Heritage Lecture Series at Saint Luke "Community" United Methodist Church in Dallas; he is truly deserving of recognition for his enduring commitment to justice and equality; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 82nd Legislature, hereby commend Reverend James Lawson for his critical role in the nation's struggle to achieve equal rights for all its citizens and extend to him best wishes for continued success in all his future endeavors; and, be it further RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be prepared for him as an expression of high regard from the Texas Senate. West President of the Senate I hereby certify that the above Resolution was adopted by the Senate on January 26, 2011.