Julian Bond

Explore the life of Julian Bond (1940–2015) — civil rights leader, politician, educator, and advocate. Learn about his activism, political career, principles, and enduring influence.

Introduction

Horace Julian Bond (January 14, 1940 – August 15, 2015) was a prominent American civil rights leader, scholar, politician, and advocate whose life spanned many of the key struggles and transformations in U.S. social justice. From co-founding the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) to serving in the Georgia legislature, leading the NAACP, teaching, and speaking out on issues from LGBT equality to climate change, Bond’s voice remained committed to expanding freedom, equality, and inclusion. His life is both a window into 20th-century civil rights history and a template for engaged citizenship in changing times.

Early Life and Family

Julian Bond was born in Nashville, Tennessee, on January 14, 1940, as Horace Julian Bond.

• His father, Horace Mann Bond, was a distinguished educator and historian. Later in his career he became president of Lincoln University.

• His mother, Julia Bond, worked as a librarian and was active in civic circles.

During Bond’s childhood, the family moved to Pennsylvania when his father took the presidency of Lincoln University, which provided Bond with a relatively integrated schooling environment in his youth.

Bond was reared in a household steeped in intellectual engagement. The Bonds hosted frequent visitors among scholars, activists, and artists, giving Julian early exposure to discourse and social issues.

Youth, Education & Early Activism

Bond attended preparatory schooling and then went to Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia.

In 1960, Bond was among the founding figures of SNCC (Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee), and became its first communications director.

Bond also helped launch the Atlanta Inquirer, a protest newspaper, as part of the student movement efforts.

His activism soon brought him into conflict with established authorities: after his election to the Georgia House in 1965, segregationist members refused to seat him because of statements he made opposing the Vietnam War. Bond sued, and the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled in Bond v. Floyd (1966) that his free speech rights had been denied, and ordered that he be seated.

Political & Organizational Leadership

Legislative Career in Georgia

After the Supreme Court decision, Bond served in the Georgia House of Representatives from 1967 to 1975, eventually organizing and chairing the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus.

He then was elected to the Georgia State Senate, where he served six terms from 1975 to 1987.

During his legislative tenure, he also aligned with the Democratic Socialists of America and its predecessor groups.

In a notable political moment, in 1968 Bond had his name submitted to the Democratic National Convention as a candidate for Vice President—though he was constitutionally too young to serve.

He later made a bid for U.S. Congress in 1986 but lost in a controversial primary battle to John Lewis.

Civil Rights & Legal Advocacy

In 1971, Bond was a co-founder of the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) in Montgomery, Alabama, and served as its first president.

In 1998, he became Chairman of the NAACP, a role he held until 2010.

Academic & Media Work

From about 1990 to 2012, Bond served as a professor of history at the University of Virginia, teaching the civil rights movement, social justice, and American history.

Bond was also active in media and commentary: he hosted America’s Black Forum, contributed to the PBS series Eyes on the Prize, and wrote a nationally syndicated column, Viewpoint.

In film, he was the subject of a documentary, Julian Bond: Reflections from the Frontlines of the Civil Rights Movement.

Style, Beliefs & Public Voice

• Bond held to nonviolent protest, coalition-building, and principled dissent throughout his life.

• He was outspoken on LGBT rights and marriage equality. He often framed LGBT rights as part of the broader struggle for civil and human rights. “If you do not like gay marriage, don’t get gay married.”

• He extended his activism into environmental and climate justice issues, participating in protests and advocating against policies like the Keystone XL pipeline.

• Bond emphasized that civil rights must adapt to new frontiers—“we must not forget race consciousness as long as we are victims of racism.”

Legacy & Influence

Julian Bond’s legacy is multifaceted:

• He is remembered as one of the bridging figures from the early civil rights movement era into 21st-century social justice struggles.

• His work in SNCC, the Georgia legislature, SPLC, and NAACP allowed him to shape policy, institutional direction, and public discourse across decades.

• As an educator, he influenced generations of students on history and activism.

• His advocacy for inclusion expanded the civil rights agenda to encompass more than racial equality—among other dimensions, he pushed for gender, sexual orientation, and environmental justice.

• Through his writings, speeches, and institutional leadership, Bond helped maintain the moral and intellectual pulse of activism in changing political eras.

• His papers and archives are preserved and studied (e.g. The Papers of Julian Bond).

Selected Quotes

• “We are at yet another turning point in the history of the race.”

• “If you do not like gay marriage, don’t get gay married.”

• “Lack of interest is more killing than lack of money.”

• “Racial discrimination is not a disease of the past; it is very much alive.”

(These reflect recurring themes in his speeches and articles; translations may vary.)