Civil rights legend Rev. Dr. Bernard Lafayette, who had been mentored in the foundations of nonviolence by Jim Lawson, died on Thursday, March 5 at the age of 85, two weeks after Rev. Jesse Jackson.
In the early 1960s, Dr. Lafayette had been a student at American Baptist Seminary in Nashville when he met Lawson and other key leaders in the civil rights movement; he was a Freedom Rider and led the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee in Selma, AL, and was brutally beaten more than once. Over the next six decades, Dr. Lafayette had come to be recognized as one of the world’s strongest authorities on strategic nonviolence and nonviolent civil action. Read more at the Tennessean website.
The following reflection is offered by Pax Christi USA national field organizer Stephen Niamke.
On April 4, 1968, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. entrusted a young Bernard J. Lafayette, Jr. with a profound charge: to institutionalize and internationalize nonviolence. King was assassinated later that evening, but the mission lived on through Lafayette’s life and work.
For many of us, the struggle for justice began as a quiet stirring. As a child watching the news of King’s assassination with my parents, I did not fully understand the moment, but I felt its weight. Over the years I tried to live responsibly, as a good citizen, a volunteer, a person of faith, but it was meeting Dr. Lafayette that helped me see the larger calling.
Through his gentle guidance and powerful example, he challenged us to confront the deeper realities of racism, poverty, and militarism. He helped us understand that nonviolence is not simply an idea but a disciplined way of transforming injustice and redeeming the violence inflicted on generations before us.
Dr. Lafayette did not lead with authority or demand attention. Instead, he taught through stories, patient listening, and quiet wisdom. His leadership was rooted in “power with” people rather than “power over” them, building relationships that turned individual commitment into collective strength. With humility, faith, and deep study of the movement’s great teachers, he inspired others to think deeply, act courageously, and organize for lasting change.
In fulfilling King’s charge, Dr. Lafayette built bridges—between people, movements, and generations. Through his life and teaching, he prepared many of us to carry forward the mantle of Kingian Nonviolence, ensuring that the work of peace and justice continues to grow, expand, and transform the world.
Stephen
Thank you for remembering Doc. He was at my Level One Kingian Nonviolence training at URI’sI summer institute. He was such a wonderful human being. I felt like I was in the presence of one of the great civil rights leaders and yet he was down to earth and reachable. I continue to be inspired by his love of life and his persistent determination to teach us how to love one another.