Barnsdall Art Park
4800 Hollywood Boulevard
Los Angeles , 90027
United States
For this month's screening on Wednesday, August 20, 2025, we will be screening clips from A Better Way: James Lawson, Architect of Non-Violence, a still unreleased feature length documentary by filmmaker Karen Hayes, chronicling the life and work of renowned Civil Rights leader, professor, and pastor, Reverend James Lawson Jr., who passed away at age 96 last June 9th, 2024.
The documentary will offer a fresh perspective on the inner workings of the Nonviolence Movement in America through the untold story of Rev. James Lawson, the man Martin Luther King Jr. called “the leading theorist and strategist of nonviolence in the world.”
Intimate verité scenes and interviews with Rev. Lawson and activists he mentored from the 1950s through to today will illuminate his impact as he addressed "US cultures of violence, racism, sexism, and Plantation Capitalism.” Rev. Lawson’s story provides evidence that nonviolent direct action is effective, and offers untapped strategies for future justice movement-building.
After the screening, we will host a panel discussion with filmmaker Karen Hayes, alongside community leaders and students of Dr. Lawson's.