Friday, February 20, 2026
6:00 PM Central
National Civil Rights Museum
Join us for a powerful evening honoring one of the Civil Rights Movement’s most influential architects as we celebrate the release of Nonviolent: A Memoir of Resistance, Agitation, and Love—the posthumous memoir of Reverend James Lawson Jr., co-authored with journalist Emily Yellin.
This Memphis book launch is both a celebration and a homecoming. The program will feature co-author Emily Yellin and Rev. Lawson’s eldest son, John Lawson, in conversation about a life dedicated to justice, discipline, and transformative love.
- Featured Speakers: Emily Yellin (co-author) and John Lawson (son of Rev. Lawson)
- Moderator: Carol Jenkins, former WNBC-TV News anchor and civil rights legacy bearer
- Live Music: Local musicians performing songs of the movement
- Book Signing: Meet the author following the program
- Special Guests: Children and family members of Rev. Lawson’s colleagues, including participants from the 1968 sanitation workers’ strike
Attendees will also have the opportunity to view the museum’s gallery exhibition honoring Bayard Rustin, Rev. Lawson’s mentor and chief organizer of the 1963 March on Washington.
Published by Random House, Nonviolent traces Rev. Lawson’s remarkable journey—from his early encounters with racism, through his studies of Gandhian philosophy in India and Africa, to his mentorship of movement leaders including John Lewis and Diane Nash.
The memoir illuminates Rev. Lawson’s pivotal role in shaping nonviolent direct action, particularly his leadership in Memphis during the 1968 sanitation workers’ strike, where he chaired the strategy committee and helped organize the movement that drew Dr. King to the city in the final days of his life.
“Violence serves tyrants. Nonviolence serves justice.” — Rev. James Lawson Jr.