160: Juneteenth Special: Fred Gray, James Lawson, and Willie James Jennings

Juneteenth celebrates the day that the final enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation was given in Texas, officially making slavery illegal in the U.S. But what factors led to the worldview that condoned slavery in the first place, and how might those factors still be affecting the country today?

Martin Luther King Jr.’s attorney Fred Gray discusses his work against segregation in the South, particularly in the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Yale professor Willie James Jennings describes the religious and cultural origins of racism. And James Lawson, considered by many as one of the architects of the civil rights movement, explains how he and other leaders came to believe that the only way to effectively desegregate the nation was through non-violent protest.

Show Notes:

Resources mentioned this episode

James Lawson Full Interview

Fred Gray Full Interview

Willie James Jennings Full Interview

The Christian Imagination by Willie James Jennings

Bus Ride to Justice by Fred Gray

PDF of Lee’s Interview Notes - Willie James Jennings

PDF of Lee's Interview Notes - James Lawson

Transcription Link 

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