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Julian Bond to sail as keynote lecturer on the December 2011 Enrichment Voyage

Civil Rights and Social Justice Leader Julian Bond

It is with great pleasure that we announce that Julian Bond will be sailing on the upcoming December 2011 Enrichment Voyage. Bond and Rita Dove will share the stage of the Union as our most honored lecturers as we voyage through the Amazon Basin and the Southern Caribbean. Bond has agreed to join the Enrichment Voyage for the full three weeks.

From his college days as a founder of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) through his Chairmanship of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Julian Bond has been an active participant in the movements for civil rights, economic justice, and peace. Bond was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives in 1965, and served four terms in the House and six terms in the Senate. He is currently a Distinguished Scholar in Residence at the American University in Washington, D.C. and a Professor at the University of Virginia in the Department of History.

Some prestigious awards and honors Bond has received include:

  • 2002 – National Freedom Award
  • In 1999, an honorary LL.D. from Bates College
  • In 2008, an honorary degree from George Washington University. Bond was the 2008 Commencement Keynote Speaker.
  • On October 1, 2009, an honorary L.H.D. from Macalester College

These are just four of the 25 honorary degrees which he has been awarded.

Attempted Vice Presidential nomination

At the 1968 Democratic national Convention, an attempt was made to place Bond’s name into nomination for the office of Vice President of the United States. At that time Bond was only 28 years old, and below the constitutional minimum age of thirty-five. Bond responded to this honor with a televised speech on the floor of the convention declining the nomination. The episode served to provide him with publicity and name recognition.

This powerful civil rights icon and distinguished academic will be lecturing on various topics including: social equality, civil rights, and the history of Rock n’ Roll. Bond’s presentation, “Crossing the Color Line: From Rhythm N Blues to Rock ‘N Roll” has been well received by many who have had the pleasure of attending Bond’s lectures. As a student of politics and a semi-professional rhythm and blues musician, I am certainly looking forward to hosting Bond onboard this voyage.

Bond previously sailed aboard the MV Explorer for the 2010 Forum on Global Engagement.

Topics
  • Education

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