Steve Cohen: “Julian Bond was and is a great civil rights leader. He founded SNCC in the sixties and fought for civil rights in this…”

“Julian Bond was and is a great civil rights leader. He founded SNCC in the sixties and fought for civil rights in this country. He was a Georgia State senator for 20 years, and had to fight and go to the Supreme Court for First Amendment rights. He was the chairman of the board of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, NAACP, for many years. He's also been a professor of civil rights history at the University of Virginia for the last 20 years, and he'll be retiring on May 1. On May 2, there will be a dinner in New York at the Plaza Hotel to raise money for the Julian Bond Civil Rights History Chair at the University of Virginia, an opportunity for people to see that civil rights history is taught at the University of Virginia for time immemorial. After Julian retires, civil rights history will continue to be taught at the University of Virginia, as it should be taught at every school, and not just in February, Black History Month. I commend Julian Bond, and I commend the University of Virginia for having hired him to teach the course and for having a chair in his honor, and encourage all to support such May 2, New York City. Thank you, Mr. Bond. ____________________”