HOUSTON — Rev. Bill Lawson and Texas Southern University share a place in history. Lawson is who the university turned to when students decided to participate in a sit-in to force desegregation. One woman who participated said Lawson gave them a sense of dignity. She’s proud to see the city honor him.
Grief quickly rises to the surface when you ask Halcyon Sadberry-Watkins about Lawson and the legacy he leaves behind.
"I want you to know that I appreciate your dad and I appreciate your family," she said.
Watkins, in March of 1960, was one of 13 TSU students participating in a sit-in at the old Weingarten food counter. Segregation was the norm, and across the country, the fight for racial equality often exploded into violence.
“That’s what he was trying to instill in us and get us in a mindset -- to be nonviolent," Sadberry-Watkins said.
Lawson was vital in keeping the peace, guiding students toward change with non-violence and a calm demeanor. There's untold value in Lawson's role, in an often untold story.
“I want you to remember that you’ve got to respect yourself first, and respect your family," Sadberry-Watkins said.
Serbino Sandifer-Walker is the assistant dean at the university’s School of Communications and produced a documentary about the 1960 sit-in and Lawson's ties to the university.
"He was a gentle giant. He was a measured man. He was a tactful man," Sandifer-Walker said.
Sandifer-Walker said that as we remember Lawson's life, it’s important to hear the stories as there is still much to learn.
"In order to achieve this change, it really is going to be important that you consider using nonviolent tactics, and they believed in him and they trusted in him,” Sandifer-Walker said.
Sadberry-Watkins said more than 60 years ago, she was a scared college student who not only thanked Lawson for helping turn the tide in Houston but also in her life.
“I tell everybody that I am proud to have been part of that movement. And he is the reason because he gave us dignity," Sadberry-Watkins said.