Who Is Julian Bond?
A few years ago while watching the NAACP awards Julian Bond was recognized as the chairman of the NAACP, and stood to receive a round of applause. I didn't think anything of this announcement, but it stopped my aunt in her tracks. She stood in the doorway and said, "Julian Bond, I thought he was dead." And I replied, "Who is Julian Bond?"
There has been talk about where our next generation of great black leaders is going to come from. I ask, where did the last generation go? Those who survived the civil rights movement of the 50's and 60's and the drug epidemics of the 70's and 80's are still around, but they are like walking ghosts. The imprints they have left on our society can still be felt, but their voices are no longer heard in the mass media, or the classrooms. It's as if they are the voice's you hear in the wind, but can never quite place.
When I asked who Julian Bond was, and my aunt snapped out of her daze long enough to answer. She told me he used to be at the right hand of Martin Luther King Jr. Anytime she heard about King or saw him in the news, there was Julian Bond. She also referenced Ralph Abernathy. Which nearly got another, 'who?' from me. "When King got shot, they all ducked." She said. "The next time I heard about Abernathy, they were announcing his funeral." It's sad that a broader telling of the roles held and people involved in the Civil Rights Movement isn't taught. Maybe someone should do a mini-series, like Roots or something. Start from the Bus Boycott through till King Day. The series could cover everyone from Malcolm X to Bayard Rustin, up until Al Sharpton and Barok Obama. Because you rarely hear anyone ask, "Kunta Kinte, who's that?"
This, I hope will be an ongoing post, where I highlight a huge figure in black history, that hasn’t been getting much mass media air time over the past twenty or thirty years. I give you, Julian Bond.
There has been talk about where our next generation of great black leaders is going to come from. I ask, where did the last generation go? Those who survived the civil rights movement of the 50's and 60's and the drug epidemics of the 70's and 80's are still around, but they are like walking ghosts. The imprints they have left on our society can still be felt, but their voices are no longer heard in the mass media, or the classrooms. It's as if they are the voice's you hear in the wind, but can never quite place.
When I asked who Julian Bond was, and my aunt snapped out of her daze long enough to answer. She told me he used to be at the right hand of Martin Luther King Jr. Anytime she heard about King or saw him in the news, there was Julian Bond. She also referenced Ralph Abernathy. Which nearly got another, 'who?' from me. "When King got shot, they all ducked." She said. "The next time I heard about Abernathy, they were announcing his funeral." It's sad that a broader telling of the roles held and people involved in the Civil Rights Movement isn't taught. Maybe someone should do a mini-series, like Roots or something. Start from the Bus Boycott through till King Day. The series could cover everyone from Malcolm X to Bayard Rustin, up until Al Sharpton and Barok Obama. Because you rarely hear anyone ask, "Kunta Kinte, who's that?"
This, I hope will be an ongoing post, where I highlight a huge figure in black history, that hasn’t been getting much mass media air time over the past twenty or thirty years. I give you, Julian Bond.
posted by state of our nation at 2:22 PM
1 Comments:
Crap. I just had to look up Kunte Kinte because I'm one of those rareties, and had no idea who he was. Though, I googled it, and now I have a better understanding. Thank you! This applies perfectly to my latest post. Keep up the good work.
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