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Pre-Work

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Dr. Sekou Franklin is the new Executive Director of the John Lewis Center for Social Justice at Fisk University. He was previously a Professor of Political Science at Middle Tennessee State University from 2003-2025. He is the author/co-author of several works including After the Rebellion: Social Movement Activism and Popular Mobilization among the Post-Civil Rights Generation, Losing Power: African Americans and Racial Polarization in Tennessee Politics, State of Blacks in Middle Tennessee, Dallas County Area Study: An Analysis of Selma-Dallas County and the Alabama Black Belt, and Coming Home to Roost: The Hidden Impacts of a Powerful Poultry Industry on Middle Georgia Residents. He served as President of the National Conference of Black Political Scientists from 2019-2021 and has authored expert reports for voting rights cases in Tennessee, North Carolina, and Louisiana. He also has worked closely with the late Rev. James Lawson, one of the world’s foremost nonviolent theoreticians. In 2019, he participated in the South Asian Regional Institute on the Study and Practice of Strategic Nonviolent Action in Nepal.

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Overview

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Throughout this session, participants will gain an in-depth understanding of how nonviolent action can effectively obstruct unjust systems and practices, construct new and just alternatives, and transform societal structures and relationships. Through conversations, historical and contemporary examples, and a blend of theoretical insights and practical applications, students will learn how to design and implement facets of Strategic nonviolence.

This session is designed to ensure that students understand the comprehensive scope of strategic nonviolent action by exploring its three fundamental components: obstruction, construction, and transformation. Too often, media and historical accounts only refer to strategic nonviolence through its obstructive elements—methods of protest and persuasion, nonviolent intervention, and the like. However, to effectively wield strategic nonviolence, we must embrace all three elements seamlessly to reach sustainable conclusions in our efforts.