Educational Media Reviews Online

This short film features the work of the Reverend James Lawson, a non-violent activist who has been active in the civil rights and labor movements since the early 1950s. He participated in the Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1955 and met the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. two years later. The film consists of four sections. The first section—the whole film, really—is rich with clips of Lawson speaking at events promoting non-violence, as well as historic footage of marches, demonstrations, and meetings Lawson participated in during the Civil Rights Movement. In the first five minutes, the film addresses sexism, racism, and workers’ rights, showing us mostly black and white photographs of poverty—broken buildings and people—and demonstrations. One of several people interviewed is Kent Wong, director of the UCLA Labor Center. Section two focuses on the labor rights movement in Los Angeles, in which labor activists talk about the risks of not only getting fired, but getting arrested or deported. Section three covers immigrants; many dream act students are interviewed, including one who took a class from Lawson at UCLA. Section four is straightforward advocacy, promoting the value of unions and the need for workers’ rights. Lawson is a charismatic and motivating speaker and his mission is as relevant today as it was when he started over 60 years ago. Recommended.