One of the nations champions for civil rights, Julian Bond, has died. He was 75.
Horace Julian Bond was born Jan. 14, 1940, in Nashville, Tennessee, and grew to be a major force in the campaign for racial equality. Often seen at the forefront of protests against segregation, Bond is one who truly dedicated his entire life to helping others live theirs.
President Barack Obama issued a statement Sunday calling Bond “a hero.”
“Justice and equality was the mission that spanned his life,” Obama said. “Julian Bond helped change this country for the better. And what better way to be remembered than that.”
Bond burst into the national consciousness after helping to co-found the Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). Then in 1965, Bond was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives and stepped into the national spotlight after being refused his seat because of his anti-war stance on Vietnam. The case went all the way up to the U.S. Supreme Court decision, which ruled in his favor. Bond took his seat in 1967.
In 1968, he led a delegation to the 1968 Democratic National Convention, where his name was placed in nomination for the vice presidency but he declined because he was too young.
He served in the Georgia House until 1975 and then served six terms in the…
Long-Time Civil Rights Leader, Julian Bond, Dies At 75 was originally published on blackdoctor.org
