Today In Black History
Julian Bond, NAACP Chair
Issue #451 Black History Tuesday, January 9, 2024
Welcome to this Today in Black History post. Black History IS American History, no matter how hard some people try to erase our history and contributions.
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Julian Bond, born on January 9, 1940, was an activist, politician, and scholar. He dedicated his life to fighting for equality, justice, and human rights.
Bond attended Morehouse College, where he became involved in activism and joined the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) at the age of 20. Bond quickly rose through the ranks of the organization, becoming its communications director in 1961.
Bond first met Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1960 while attending Morehouse College, and worked closely with King and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) in organizing protests and demonstrations against segregation. Bond also participated in voter registration drives alongside King in Georgia and Alabama and played a crucial role in the movement for equal rights.
Throughout the 1960s, Bond played a crucial role in organizing protests and demonstrations against segregation and racial discrimination. He was one of the founding members of the Atlanta-based Southern Poverty Law Center and helped lead the voter registration drives in Georgia and Alabama. His passion for civil rights and his eloquence as a speaker made him a respected and influential figure in the movement.
In 1965, Bond was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives, but his membership was denied by white segregationist lawmakers who objected to his anti-war stance. His case went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled in his favor and allowed him to take his seat in 1967. Bond served in the Georgia House for twenty years and later became a state senator.
Beyond his political activism, Bond had a successful career as an educator and scholar. He taught at several universities, including the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard University. Bond also served as the chairman of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) from 1998 to 2010, where he continued to advocate for equal rights and social justice.
Today In Black History
- In 1861, Mississippi seceded from the Union.
- In 1866, Fisk University was established in Tennessee, Rust College was established in Mississippi, and Lincoln University was founded in Missouri.
- In 1914, Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, a Black Greek Letter Organization (BGLO), was founded at Howard University.
- In 1967, the Georgia Legislature seated Representative Julian Bond after a two-year Supreme Court fight.
- In 1988, “The Piano Lesson,” a play by Black playwright August Wilson, premiered in Boston.
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