On Wednesday, April 4, Julian Bond, Chairman for the NAACP spoke at Finney Chapel. Bond’s convocation speech, entitled “Civil Rights: Then and Now,” traced the history of the civil rights movement and racism from legal slavery to tensions arising from the aftermath of Sept. 11.
A graduate of Morehouse College, Bond became involved in the civil rights movement in the early 1960s. He went on to serve four terms as a state representative, and six terms as a state senator in Georgia. In 1987 Bond left office to teach, write, and dedicate time to public service. He is currently a professor of history at the University of Virginia.
“American slavery was a crime against humanity,” Bond said. This crime is something the country has yet to overcome. Although legal slavery no longer exists, Bond argued, the repercussions of enslavement still affect society in deep and distinct ways today.
“When the 20th century began, blacks were slaves in every way but legally,” Bond said. When slaves were legally emancipated, Bond argued, they were forced into a capitalist society that set them at a severe disadvantage. They started off with no education, money, or ability to compete with whites. In effect, this tradition of minority poverty still exists today.
To actively combat these great inequalities, the NAACP supports a number of measures, from affirmative action to a pending bill that calls for a commission to explore the possibility of paying reparations to descendents of slaves. Supporting this bill, Bond stated that society cannot overcome racism until it recognizes and confronts racial issues.
“It’s foolish to the extreme to think that if we ignore race, race will go away,” Bond said. Simply ignoring racial tension and acting as though all people are truly equal is ineffective in the fight against racism, Bond argued. With a conscious disregard of race, society allows the gap between the rich and poor, the privileged and unprivileged to grow.
Continuing on to discuss racial tensions today, Bond recognized that racial inequality affects not only African Americans, but also Hispanics, Native Americans, Asian American and other minority groups. “At the NAACP we support colored people of all colors,” Bond said. The NAACP was founded by and has members of all racial groups. It fights for the equal treatment of all races, and has recently joined forces with Hispanic civil rights groups in the pursuit of equal education for minority students.
On the issue of racial tensions surrounding the events of Sept. 11, Bond sees further complications in the pursuit of equal rights and freedom. “With Sept. 11, we have not conquered fascism abroad and racism at home,” Bond said. He finished his speech with concerns about the nation, but great hope for the future and confidence in America’s ability to free itself of racism.
Students had mixed reactions to Bond. While all found him to be a thoroughly charismatic and entertaining speaker, many found his speech lacking in substance, avoiding the many difficult issues surrounding racial tension.
“I found Mr. Bond to be a very engaging and polished speaker. He expressed his opinion on issues rather than playing to the audience, while remaining hopeful for the future,” junior Bryce Poole said.
Bond spoke about the way racial groups often compete over limited resources, while they should really be working together to transcend all racial boundaries. “He made a good point on the issue of competition among racial groups,” first year Richard Morales said. Others, however, held a more critical opinion of the talk. “While I appreciated his stress on the need for racial solidarity as a form of patriotism, I also felt he avoided talking about non-Americans and the need for empathy and love among all races and all nations. We need to put ourselves in the Afghanis’ shoes,” senior Jim Hodge said. Many also felt that Bond’s direct avoidance of a question concerning gender issues in relation to civil rights shed negative light on his oration.