United African Nationalist Movement

James R. Lawson
Lawson interviewed on The Hate that Hate Produced in 1959
Born	James Rupert Lawson 1918 Macon, Georgia, U.S.
Died	1985 New York City, New York, U.S.
Cause of death	stroke
Occupation	publicist, activist
Organization	United African Nationalist Movement
Movement	Black nationalism, Pan-Africanism
Spouse(s)	Martha Lawson
Children	Kathryn Brown Lawson; Mary Birhane Lawson

James Rupert Lawson (1918 – July 9, 1985) was an African-American activist who founded the United African Nationalist Movement, an anti-imperialist lobbying group based in Harlem, advocating freedom for Africans from rule by non-Africans in the post World War II era.

A follower of the ideas of Marcus Garvey, he was associated with "black nationalist" ideology in the 1950s and 1960s.

Lawson was born in Macon, Georgia, studying at high school there, then moving to New York, where he was based for the rest of his career. In the 1930s he participated in the Harlem Labor Union, founded by Ira Kemp. The organization had a Garveyite black nationalist philosophy, and was opposed by Frank Crosswaith's Negro Labor Committee.

In 1948 Lawson founded the United African Nationalist Movement, which lobbied for support for anti-Imperialist forces and promoted Pan-Africanism, in the tradition of Garvey. The UANM sponsored events such as Garvey Day in Harlem, a celebration of Garvey's work at which a "Miss Africa" was crowned.

In 1950 Lawson was imprisoned for breaching the peace when he and other UANM members protested at a local Catholic church over the church's alleged support for Italian imperialism dating back to Mussolini's invasion of Ethiopia. Lawson also regularly used the proximity of the United Nations headquarters to publicize the cause. According to fellow-activist Ora Mobley-Sweeting, "having the United Nations right there in New York city offered us the opportunity to approach this international body". Lawson would "set up picket lines at the United Nations, speaking out about African liberation."

The movement promoted links with independent African nations. In March 1957, the UANM held a dinner at the Hotel Theresa in Harlem for the ambassadors of Sudan, Morocco, and Tunisia, along with an envoy from Libya. The UANM opposed US support for European imperialism, such as supplying helicopters to France for use in the Algerian war of independence. Lawson believed that Europe and Africa should receive equal U.S. aid and endorsed more open support for anti-colonial activities. Lawson also wanted to set up a black-diaspora trading company to replace white-owned businesses that operated in South American and Caribbean countries.

In the 1959 documentary The Hate That Hate Produced Lawson's activities were linked to those of the Nation of Islam, the principal subject of the program, which addressed the rise of "black nationalism" in America. He was asked about his relationship with African leaders of the time, notably President Nasser of Egypt. According to commentators Rodolfo Torres and Christopher Kyriakides, this aspect of the program "draws public attention to the significant threat that Black Nationalism, as an enemy within, is presumed to pose to American interests in the Middle East". He was also quizzed about his support for politicians Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. and Hulan Jack. He also defended his links with African leaders; criticized the NAACP because of its integrationist ideology and Jewish leadership; and defended a painting depicting Jesus as a black man, quoting scriptural passages.