James Lawson

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

Chancellor Nicholas S. Zeppos led his inaugural Chancellor Charter Nov. 5, guiding approximately 30 students, faculty and staff on an interfaith tour of Nashville and sharing some of the city’s history. Read More

Noted civil rights leader James Lawson, the keynote speaker for Vanderbilt's 2016 MLK Commemoration, told a capacity audience that the American people must choose if the country is to move into a true democracy with equality, freedom and justice for all. Read More

The Vanderbilt community celebrated the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. with a series of events Jan. 15-18, including lectures, service activities and participation in the Nashville Freedom March. See coverage on the Get Social website. Read More

The Rev. James Lawson, whom Martin Luther King Jr. called “the leading nonviolence theorist in the world,” will deliver the keynote address at Vanderbilt University’s MLK Day celebration Monday, Jan. 18. The theme for the commemoration is “Apathy to Action: Activism, Allyship and Anti-Racism.” Read More

To date, Rosevelt Noble has completed roughly 150 various interviews relating to his project and has taken more than 175,000 photos documenting the experience of African Americans on campus. Read More

A new Vanderbilt residence hall pays tribute to the legacy of civil rights pioneer and former Vanderbilt Divinity School assistant dean Kelly Miller Smith. Read More