University History Prof. Julian Bond will not seek reelection as chairman of the NAACP when his term ends in February, the NAACP announced Tuesday.
“I thought it was time for a new generation to take over the leadership,” said Bond, who has served as chairman since 1998.
He said, however, he will continue to stay active on the board once his three-year term as a member ends next year, in addition to continuing to teach history at the University.
NAACP board members and officers are volunteers in elected positions, and the chairmanship is a one-year term, according to a NAACP press release. Bond will step down in the organization’s centennial year, after 11 years as chairman. NAACP CEO Benjamin Jealous, who was recently appointed, noted in the press release that the organization looks forward to Bond’s continued active involvement in the board.
University spokesperson Carol Wood said Bond’s experiences and leadership have been an asset within the University community.
“We have been fortunate to have someone like Julian Bond be a member of our community, bringing to students his real life experiences with the civil rights movement,” Wood said.
Since 1998 when he first assumed chairmanship, Bond said, the NAACP has made significant advancements in providing equality and opportunity for ethnic minorities by eliminating discriminatory practices and serving as a watchdog for discrimination in more than 2,000 communities across the country.
Bond also emphasized the results of NAACP efforts in recent presidential contests, namely the registration and turnout of thousands of voters.
Reflecting on 100 years of activism, Bond said the NAACP has been “instrumental” in eliminating legal as well as extralegal discrimination in the United States.
“We have been a major player in every anti-discrimination movement in the country over the last 99 years,” Bond said, citing discrimination and segregation at the ballot box and in public education as examples.
In aggressively pursuing the end of discrimination and segregation in the country, Bond said the NAACP can claim “some responsibility” for the election of Barack Obama.
Although Bond hailed the historic election of Obama as the first African-American president as a “great step,” he said it does not mean the end of discrimination.
“The elevation of one man doesn’t erase discrimination which exists in all parts of the country and in every aspect of society,” he said. “We still have a job to do and we have to make sure Obama has all the help he needs.” This help, Bond added, includes criticism.
The future goals of the NAACP are to ensure that the “remaining vestiges” of discrimination are eliminated, Bond said.
“We need to make sure that democracy is perfected so that it extends to everyone,” he said.
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