We lost a teacher, leader and friend over the weekend.
To the nation, Julian Bond was best known as a civil rights activist, most notably as a leader in the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and in the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). He also served in both the Georgia House of Representatives and the Georgia Senate, where—from 1966 to 1986—he advocated for the rights of African Americans, low-income citizens and anyone who needed a champion in the legislature.
To those of us who are lucky enough to work at Teaching Tolerance and the Southern Poverty Law Center, Julian Bond felt like a beloved uncle. He was our organization’s first president, a longtime board member and frequent visitor. He wrote the foreword to our 2014 Teaching the Movement report, narrated our Oscar-winning documentary, A Time for Justice, and contributed his first-hand historical knowledge and insight to our most recent film, Selma: The Bridge to the Ballot. He was always generous with his time, smiles and encouragement while he was visiting our office in Montgomery.
What fewer people got to know about Julian Bond was his passion for civil rights scholarship. He taught at Harvard, Williams, Drexel and the Universities of Pennsylvania and Virginia, among other institutions. Anyone who ever had the privilege of seeing him lecture on the history of rock ‘n’ roll will never forget how he was able to bring decades of history to life through his deep knowledge of music and pop culture. Julian Bond, the educator, was dynamic, creative and unfailingly generous with his knowledge until the end. He was even scheduled to appear as a panel member at the upcoming Selma viewing at the National Council for the Social Studies conference this November.
As we mourn Mr. Bond’s passing and wish peace to his family and friends, we also want to express our gratitude for having had the privilege to work with him.
Rest in peace, sir. We will miss you.
van der Valk is the managing editor for Teaching Tolerance.
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