James Lawson

We Shall Overcome: Civil Rights and the Nashville Press, 1957-1968, a photography exhibition on loan to Vanderbilt Divinity School from the Frist Art Museum, illuminates key moments in Nashville’s struggle for racial equality, including the leadership of the Rev. James Lawson. Read More

Chancellor Daniel Diermeier congratulated the Class of 2022 for their “persistence, patience and above all, courage” during the past four years when he delivered his Commencement address at Vanderbilt Stadium on May 13. An estimated 14,000 guests joined graduates of the university’s 147th class during an in-person main ceremony that was livestreamed on Vanderbilt’s website. Read More

The Rev. James Lawson returned to Vanderbilt University for the April 7 launch of an institute that carries forward his commitment to achieving justice and equality through nonviolent movements and strategies. Read More

In keynote remarks delivered at an investiture officially marking his tenure as Vanderbilt’s ninth chancellor, Daniel Diermeier urged the university community to seize this aspirational moment and join him in building “The Great University” for today’s world. Read More

Vanderbilt University will launch the James Lawson Institute for the Research and Study of Nonviolent Movements during a livestreamed celebration featuring the Rev. James Lawson and keynote speaker John M. Seigenthaler on April 7. Read More

Nashville’s newest public high school will be named in honor of the Rev. James Lawson, a civil rights icon and Vanderbilt University Distinguished Professor, emeritus. Read More

Vanderbilt Divinity School and the College of Arts and Science will honor one of the university's most revered alumni with the launch of the James Lawson Institute for the Research and Study of Nonviolent Movements. Read More

Vanderbilt University will join with many community partners to pay tribute to the life and Nashville legacy of Rep. John Lewis on July 16 and 17 with the formal dedication of Rep. John Lewis Way and a public celebration at Ryman Auditorium. Read More

The Rev. James Lawson, a civil rights icon and Vanderbilt University distinguished professor, emeritus, has received the prestigious NAACP Chairman’s Award, which recognizes individuals who demonstrate exemplary public service and use their distinct platforms to create agents of change. Read More

Prominent scholars, journalists, historians and activists gathered virtually for a daylong symposium discussing the fight for equity. “Racial Justice, Freedom and Activism in Nashville and Beyond: Then and Now” was hosted by Vanderbilt University on March 26.  Read More

Charles E. Roos, a retired physics professor who built his department’s research in areas ranging from superconducting wire to recycling technology, has died. He was 93. Read More

The Vanderbilt community will welcome a diverse panel of renowned civil rights and social justice activists, journalists, historians and scholars for an examination of Nashville’s role as an intellectual center of the struggle for racial justice, then and now. The daylong virtual symposium will be held on Friday, March 26, starting at 9 a.m. CT and is open to the public. Read More

Rare photographs of the Rev. James M. Lawson Jr., a pivotal figure in the history of the civil rights movement and Vanderbilt University, have been acquired by the Jean and Alexander Heard Libraries. Read More

Chancellor Nicholas S. Zeppos announced today the second series of portraits honoring five Vanderbilt trailblazers. Zeppos has commissioned paintings of Dorothy Wingfield Phillips, K.C. Potter, David Williams II, Kate Lupton and Muhammad Yunus. Read More

Lessons from the 1961 Freedom Rides and their relevance to today’s racial justice protests were discussed by alumnus and author Eric Etheridge and rider Rip Patten during a recent campus visit. Read More

We must ensure that the artwork displayed at Vanderbilt celebrates role models that inspire all members of our rich mosaic, writes Chancellor Nicholas S. Zeppos in this week's column. Read More

Chancellor Nicholas S. Zeppos unveiled four portraits on Saturday that are part of a new “Vanderbilt Trailblazers” series to honor members of the Vanderbilt community who broke barriers at the university and in society at large. Read More

The new Rev. James M. Lawson Jr. Scholarship provides need-based financial support for underrepresented minority students who demonstrate a commitment to civil rights and social justice. Read More

Stacey Floyd-Thomas will discuss "It's a Surreal World After All" when she delivers the Mafoi Carlisle Bogitsh Memorial Lecture March 2 at Vanderbilt Divinity School. Read More

Vanderbilt recently celebrated Equality Weekend, a two-day event that honored 21 of Nashville’s civil rights leaders and marked the 50th anniversary of Vanderbilt breaking the SEC’s color barrier with men’s basketball players Perry Wallace and Godfrey Dillard. The 21 leaders were honored at the Commodores’ men’s basketball game on Feb. 18 and the women’s game on Feb. 19—both Vanderbilt victories. Read More