A UCLA professor recalls James Lawson’s power and kindness

UCLA historian Vinay Lal remembers speaking alongside the Rev. James Lawson during a panel discussion in Pasadena in 2008 and feeling awestruck by the “majestic” manner in which the veteran civil rights leader spoke about the power of nonviolence and its ability to change the course of history.“He had a booming voice, very confident, but the amazing thing was that that confidence always came with compassion at the same time,” said Lal. “The way in which he spoke of nonviolence, it was coming out of a depth of experience.”Lawson’s commanding presence, moral clarity and big…