In Remembrance of Julian Bond: A Foot Soldier for Justice

As our nation mourns the passing of one of its most prolific civil rights activists, Julian Bond, I am reminded of the transformational changes shepherded by this American hero whose life was devoted to enhancing the social, political and economic conditions for all people.

For more than half a century Julian Bond, the son of a college president and scholar, helped to shape American society. He believed in the goodness of people and in the moral arc of justice and freedom. He was one of many people who inspired a generation of elected officials, including me.

His impact on the political process in this country was so engaging that he became the first African-American nominated as Vice-President of the United States during the Democratic National Convention in 1968, 40 years before we would see the first African-American Democratic nominee for President. He withdrew his name from the ballot, because at 28, he was too young to hold the office.

A son of the civil rights movement, Julian Bond helped to start the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) while attending Morehouse College in 1960. From 1960 to 1966, he led student protests and served as the communications director for SNCC.

In 1965, he was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives and served there with grace and distinction for two decades.  He passed legislation that mandated the testing of young people for sickle cell anemia, economic disengagement from Apartheid governed South Africa and low interest loans for low-to-moderate-income home buyers.

He was a bold and visionary legislator who argued against the War in Vietnam. When his colleagues refused to seat him in the Georgia Legislature, he took his struggle all the way to the United States Supreme Court, arguing that Georgia legislators attempted to deny his right to free speech. The highest court in the land sided with him, and his name became known to Americans of all colors.

His concern to break the chains of poverty and discrimination led Julian Bond to co-found the Southern Poverty Law Center. He was the president of the organization between 1971 and 1979 and was a member of its board of directors at the time of his death.

As a media personality, Julian Bond hosted and wrote a syndicated television program entitled “America’s Black Forum.”  It was a platform that allowed him to continue to broadcast his political, social and economic objectives.  He implemented national campaigns to register minority voters and fought for equal pay for women and immigrants.

As a former chairman of the NAACP board of directors, he guided the civil rights organization into a period of economic prosperity and growth.  He was a highly acclaimed professor who taught legions of student at institutions such as the University of Pennsylvania, Drexel and Harvard.   A scholar in residence at the University of Virginia, he directed an oral history project for the institution.

Our nation and its people are better because of Julian Bond and the life that he lived. His life can be characterized as an unrelenting courageous fight for justice, dignity and freedom.