Honoring the Life and Legacy of Horace Julian Bond, Chairman Emeritus, NAACP

WHEREAS, Horace Julian Bond was born on January 14, 1940, in Nashville, Tennessee to noted educator Horace Mann and Julia Bond; and,

WHEREAS, Mr. Bond was educated in a Quaker boarding school in Pennsylvania before attending Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia; and

WHEREAS, it was in Atlanta that Mr. Bond began his social and civil rights activism work, while also founding The Pegasus, a Literary Magazine, as well as serving as an intern with Time  magazine; and

WHEREAS, in 1960, Mr. Bond co-founded the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) to combat segregation and racial injustice throughout the south and served as its communications director; and

WHEREAS, at the age of 25, Mr. Bond was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives; however, the state legislators refused to seat him due to his opposition to the Vietnam War.  A unanimous decision by the U.S. Supreme Court compelled the state to seat him and allow him to serve, and he did so for the next 7 years, followed by 12 years in the Georgia Senate; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Bond was the first African-American nominated for the office of Vice President of the United States; he declined the nomination because he was too young to serve; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Bond also helped to create the Southern Poverty Law Center with noted civil rights litigator, Morris Dees, to fight racism in the court system, and served as its President for eight years; and

WHEREAS, following in his parents' footsteps, Mr. Bond taught at several universities, including Drexel University, American University, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Virginia, and Harvard University; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Bond continued educating the American public and the world through his commentary on Byline, NBC's The Today Show, a syndicated column in Viewpoint magazine; and

WHEREAS, in its second season the sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live invited Mr. Bond to be its guest host; and

WHEREAS, in 1987, Mr. Bond narrated the critically acclaimed and Academy Award nominated PBS Documentary series Eyes on the Prize which chronicled Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s-60s; and

WHEREAS, in 1999, Mr. Bond was selected to serve as Chairman of the National Board of Directors for the NAACP, where he served while ushering the organization into the new millennium; and

WHEREAS, in 2010, the NAACP National Board of Directors declared that Mr. Bond would be named as a Chairman Emeritus; and

WHEREAS, Chairman Emeritus Bond's social and political activism, teaching prowess, leadership, and overall freedom fighting work is eclipsed only by his roles as husband to Pam Horowitz; brother to Jane and James; father to Horace Mann II, Jeffery, Michael, Jane, and Julia; and grandfather to eight grandchildren.

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the NAACP, during this 107th Annual National Convention in Cincinnati, Ohio, pauses to recognize and express our deepest appreciation and celebrate the contributions of this great civil rights champion, educator, and Chairman Emeritus of the NAACP; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that we commit to honor the memory of Julian Bond by incorporating his love of life, commitment to others, passion for family and the mission of the NAACP into our work; and

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, we thank God for granting the citizens of the United States of America, and indeed the world, the opportunity to benefit from the leadership and work of the Chairman Emeritus Bond, in civil rights and social justice advocacy for all.