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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2015 - 2016
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | August 17, 2015 02:30 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Vanessa Lowery Brown |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | CONDOLENCE RESOLUTION: HONORING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF THE LATE JULIAN BOND, FORMER CIVIL RIGHTS LEADER, POLITICAL ACTIVIST AND LEGISLATOR |
| In the very near future, I intend to introduce a resolution honoring the life and legacy of the late Mr. Julian Bond, acclaimed former civil rights leader, political activist and legislator. On Saturday, August 15, 2015, our nation and the African-American community at-large, lost one of its most strident civil rights advocates and champions with the passing of the late Mr. Julian Bond. The personification of grassroots activism, Mr. Bond was one of the founding members of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), a student-based organization that was formed with the mission of eradicating discrimination and achieving social equity by employing strategic and non-violent methods, such as through sit-ins and public demonstrations. He was also one of the founding members of the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), where he served as the organization’s first president. In addition to many of his worthwhile efforts through the utilization of SNCC and the SPLC, the late Mr. Bond also endeavored to change many of the intrinsic inequities of the political system by seeking public office. In 1965, he ran for and successfully won the State of Georgia’s 136th Legislative District seat. However, due to Mr. Bonds’ public opposition against the Vietnam War, his fellow Georgia legislators voted to remove him from his seat prior to the commencement of the 1966 legislative session. This action would later be deemed unconstitutional by the United States Supreme Court and Mr. Bond would be reinstalled in the Georgia House of Representatives in 1967. Tempered by this victory and the unyielding faith of his supporters. Mr. Bond would avail himself of the opportunity to effectively utilize his platform as a member of the Georgia House of Representatives, and later as a member of the Georgia State Senate, to protect and promote the interests of racial minorities, both within the State of Georgia and beyond. Following his life as a publicly-elected official, Mr. Bond’s passion and advocacy in the sphere of civil rights and social justice continued to serve as his primary driving force. This fact resulted in him being elected as Chairman of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) from 1998 through 2009. A public servant par excellence, Mr. Bond’s cumulative body of work should serve as the archetype for what true advocacy looks like and encompasses. Therefore, it is due to the foregoing reasons that I wish to urge my colleagues to please join me in honoring the life and legacy of the late Mr. Julian Bond. For more information regarding this resolution, please contact Mr. Brandon Flood at 717.772.6955 or bflood@pahouse.net. |
Introduced as HR450