The chairman of the board of the NAACP, Julian Bond, delivered a special treat on Wednesday, March 1, in the Memorial Student Center auditorium.Jennifer Russell, president of the Prairie View chapter of the NAACP, described Bond as “the epitome of excellence.” As a prominent figure in the civil rights movement, not only did he march with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. but also he was a founder of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). He served in both the Georgia House of Representatives and the Senate.
In his dynamic speech, Bond spoke of his experience with the late King. He jokingly told the audience one day he spoke with King, and King told him he had a nightmare. However, Bond told him, “No, you have a dream.”
Although, Bond joked with the crowd he had a very serious and inspiring message. Focused on the modern race problems in America, Bond stated, “If you scramble the words in America, it spells I AM RACE.”
He spoke of the lack of compassion and secrecy that is intertwined through the Bush administration and criticized them for the true reasons of the war in Iraq. “The war on Iraq has as much to do with terrorism as our administration has to do with compassion,” he said. He discussed the allegations of conspiracy and spying by the current administration on law-abiding citizens.
He compared the current administration with the Clinton administration. “If Clinton’s Achilles heel was sex, then our current administration’s Achilles heel is secrecy.”
In closing, he challenged the audience to include everyone in the modern fight for equality meaning blacks, whites, yellows, and reds. “There is much much more yet to be done. It’s not easy work but we have never wished our way to freedom, we have worked,” he asserted. Bond emphasized that minorities such as Latinos and African Americans must join together and defeat the race issues in America.
Students were truly inspired by Bond. “Bond inspired me to get more active in the political field and to gain interest in African Americans’ position in politics,” said freshman computer engineering major James Parker.
“Mr. Bond inspired but also reminded African Americans of the intense fight in the days of white supremacy. Yet, the fight is not over,” junior communications major Yonne Bellamy said. “His speech reminded me of the great impact of the black struggle toward freedom.