Nonviolent Direct Action Training

The training on 2/5/2026 was led by Pastor Keith Caldwell, who was taught Nonviolence and conducted actions with Rev. James Lawson, who was a colleague of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and a leader in Nonviolence. The first hour or so of the training focused on the theory of Nonviolence: that it is way of life that focuses on:

• love for both your own group and for those you are opposing,

• respect for the principles underlying the law, even while sometimes disobeying unjust laws

• taking and holding the moral high ground by not committing acts of violence, but also not backing down from active non-cooperation in injustice

• the intent of the moral conversion of opponents by serving as an exemplar of integrity, and letting them see their own actions as other than this

The second section of the training was a walk-through of a simulated action, letting us see how things might work in practice.

I found the class thought provoking. It is likely that there will be additional classes in the future; check micahmemphis.org/calendar for scheduled sessions.