Transcripts For LINKTV Democracy Now 20240622

Kings. Amy civil rights pioneer julian bond has died at the age of 75. For over half a century, he helped fight for freedom in the United States. He cofounded the student nonviolent corn ending committee helped integrate georgias house , of representatives, and then chaired the naacp. He fought for environmental and gayrights. We will speak to Eleanor Holmes norton, delegate to congress representing the District Of Columbia, former naacp chair benjamin jealous, Pulitzer Prizewinning historian taylor , president of the Southern Poverty Law Center. And we will hear julian bond in his own words. We march because Trayvon Martin has joined emmett till in the pantheon of young black martyrs. We march because the United States Supreme Court has eviscerated the Voting Rights act for which we fought and we march because every Economic Indicator shows gaping whitelike disparities. We march for freedom from white supremacy. All that and more, coming up. Welcome to democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. Civil rights pioneer julian bond has died at the age of 75. For more than half a century, bond helped found student nonviolen student nonviolent con data committee, chaired the naacp. He spent 20 years in the Georgia State Legislature Come despite the thames by white colleagues to block them from sitting over his opposition to the vietnam war. He appeared on democracy now multiple times, including a 2009 when he reflected on the 100th anniversary of the naacp. Im constantly asked, what new thing is the naacp doing . Americans what you to do something new every year. In new years, fight racial it discrimination. Amy we will spend the hour the headlines. Documents from nsa whistleblower Edward Snowden have exposed how extensively the nsa relied on telecommuications giant at t for its vast spying operations. Records described by ahe New York Times and propublica laud at ts extreme willingness to help the nsas spying efforts, by providing access to billions of emails flowing across its domestic networks, and supplying technical aid in carrying out a secret order allowing the wiretapping of all Internet Communications at the headquarters of the United Nations an at t customer. In 2013, the nsas topsecret budget for its partnership with at t was reportedly more than twice that of the nextlp gest such program. In news from africa south meeting for peace talks in ethiopia in a bid to end a civil war which has claimed tens of thousands of lives. South sudanese president salva kiir and rebel leader riek machar, face a deadline of today to sign a peace accord or face possible sanctions. Ighting erupted in 2013 between forces loyal to president kiir and supporters of machar, his former deputy. At least seven ceasefires have already been brokered and fallen apart. In pakistan, a top provincial pakistans crackdown on militant Suicide Attack along with 14 other people. Shuja khanzada was the home minister for the province of punjab. A talibanlinked militant group has claimed responsibility, calling the attack retaliation for military efforts against the group. The syrian observatory for human rights says a Syrian Government airstrike northeast of damascus has killed 96 people, making it among the deadliest attacks in t e fouryearlong civil war. The strike hit a market in the rebel held area of douma. Hundreds were reportedly wounded. Italian and norwegian authorities have discovered the bodies of 49 migrants who appear to have asphyxiated to death in the hold of an overcrowded fishing boat as they tried to cross the mediterranean to europe. More than 300 people on deck were rescued, but those in the hold died amid exhaust fumes and heat. The war in syria has helped fuel the worst refugee crisis since world war ii. This year trying to reach europe by boat. In iraq, a Parliamentary Panel has called for former iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Almaliki and dozens of other officials to face trial for the fall of the city of mosul to the selfproclaimed Islamic State last year. The call came after iraqi Prime Minister Haider Alabadi ordered a Court Martial for military commanders accused of abandoning their posts and allou jrar to claimed another iraqi city ramadi. , abadi also announced plans to cut 11 ministerial positions, reducing his cabinet by a third in a bid to appease mass protests over corruption. Meanwhile, bombings across the iraqi capital baghdad killed at least 24 people. The bombings followed a truck bomb attack by isil which killed more than 70 people in baghdad thursday, marking the deadliest attack in the capital since abadi took office a year ago. In news from indonesia, a passenger plane has crashed in the province of papua with 54 people on board. Rescuers are still searching for the wreckage. The plane was also carrying nearly half 1 million in cash assistance for poor villagers in remote areas. In news from china, the death toll from a series of explosions at a chemical warehouse in tianjin has risen to 112. Nearly 100 more remain missing, most of them firefighters. Authorities widened the evacuation radius to three kilometers after fresh explosions over the weekend. State media reports said the warehouse contained 700 tons of sodium cyanide 0 times more than the allowed amount. Greenpeace has urged china to establish a wider, fivekilometer safety zone around the blast site, while hundreds of displaced residents have rallied to demand compensation for their losses. There are over 700 people in the hospital. The United States has raised its flag over the newly reopened u. S. Embassy in cuba for the first time in 54 years. Speaking at a ceremony in havana, secretary of state john kerry hailed the thawing of diplomatic relations between cuba and the United States. My friends, doesnt take a gps to realize the road of estrangement that United States and cuba were traveling is not the right one, and that the time has come for us to move in a more promising direction. In the United States, that means recognizing that u. S. Policy is not the anvil on which cubas future will before just. Amy the u. S. Trade embargo on cuba remains in place. Speaking to reporters at the end of his visit, kerry said there was no way congress would vote to lift the embargo on cuba if it doesnt move to improve its in brazil, hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets to protest corruption and austerity and call for the impeachment of president dilma rousseff. Brazil is mired in economic recession amid a vast corruption scandalving the state oil Company Petro ras. The protests took place sunday in more than 200 cities across brazil. In puerto rico, more than 60 samesex couples tied the knot in a mass wedding sunday in the capital san juan. Puerto rico had banned samesex marriage but in june, the , governor issued an executive order requiring compliance with a u. S. Supreme Court Decision , legalizing samesex marriage aacross the United States. The head of the International Monetary fund has called for european creditors to provide significant debt relief to greece, after greek lawmakers accepted harsh austerity measures to secure their third bailout in five years. Imf managing director Christine Lagarde said greeces debt is unsustainable. She refused to commit the imf to joining the bailout until it has reviewed the deal. In the meantime, greek Prime Minister a exis tsipras appears likely to call a confidence vote after nearly a third of lawmakers from his own syriza party abstained or voted against the bailout. Vice President Joe Biden has called the gunman who killed four marines and a sailor at a Tennessee Reserve Center last month a perverted jihadist, still dont know the motive for the shooting. The fbi has said theres no evidence Muhammed Youssef abdulazeez was motivated by isil. He also suffered from Mental Illness and was preparing for bankruptcy. Joe biden made the remarks at a memorial to the slain servicemembers on saturday. When this perverted jihadist struck, everyone responded. Marines and sailors moving from room to room helping fellow warriors to safety. Amy joe biden is said to be weighing a run for the democratic president ial3 on the Republican Campaign trail, donald trump has released his policy on immigration. The plan includes forcing mexico to pay for a border wall, deporting all undocumented immigrants, ending Citizenship Rights for children of immigrants born in the United States and revoking obamas executive orders on immigration. Trump spoke to chuck todd of nbcs meet the press. Xecutive order gets rescinded. You wi l resend that one, to . Set of standards. When people come in youre going to split up families . We can keep the families together. But they have to go. Amy fellow republican candidate jeb bush, has refused to rule out resuming the use of torture techniques employed under his brother, former president george w. Bush. Bush made the comments in response to a question in iowa last week. Do you believe that the cia ommon definition, and would you bring those back under any circumstances as president . I dont want to make a definitive, blanket kind of statement. This is something that im not struggling with im running for president , not running for the senate or governor. When youre president , your words matter. I am cautious about makig commitments without having all the facts because this is a serious undertaking. Amy the super pac supporting bushs president ial bid will reportedly spend 10 million on its first major Tv Ad Campaign beginning next month. Meanwhile, trump has said he is willing to spend 1 billion of his own money o his campaign. The Obama Administration has blocked a legal request to f ee a Guantanamo Bay prisoner who has been on Hunger Strike for in a rare move, the Justice Department opposed the release of Tariq Ba Odah in aq aqa through a filing which was kept under seal. Ba odah has droppq to 74 pounds after years of refusing food and being force fed through a nasal tube. He was cleared for release in 2009. In a statement, ba odahs attorney with the center for Constitutional Rights called the Justice Departments secret filing to prevent his clients release a transparent attempt to hide the fact that the Obama Administrations interagency process for closing guantanamo is an incoherent mess. U. S. Army whistleblower Chelsea Manning has been denied access to a prison Legal Library just before a key hearing which could help determine whether she ij placed in solitary confinement. Manning faces solitary for having prohibited property in her cell, including an expired tube of toothpaste and the vanity fair issue where transgender athlete Caitlyn Jenner talks about her new life living openly as a woman. The hearing is scheduled for tuesday. Manning is serving a 35 your sentence for giving secret documents to wikileaks. Wildfires are raging across multiple western states amid the latest scientific warnings about climate change. Montana declared a state of emergency over the fires, which also raged in idaho, oregon, california and washington state. Nasa has confirmed last month was the hottest july on record. Meanwhile, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says warmer Ocean Temperatures could make this years el nino the strongest on record. El nino is a climate phenomenon which can bring massive storms. In news from texas, 1200 people packed into a church in arlington to honor a College Student shot dead byn police on august 7. 3 when Police Officer brad miller shot him fou times at a car dealership which taylor had allegedly broken into. Officer miller claimed taylor advanced toward him and he feared for his life. But police chief will johnson fired officer miller, saying he confront taylor without assistance or an arrest plan. Ias unclear if miller will Face Criminal Charges for the shooting. And nbc is facing criticism for interrupting singer Janelle Monae as she spoke out against Police Brutality during a performance on the today show. After finishinher snt r hit song tightrope, monae said, god bless america. God bless all whove lost lives to Police Brutality. She continued to speak, but today show anchor Savannah Guthrie cut her off, just as she said, we will ot be silenced. God bless america. God bless all whove lost lives to Police Brutality. We stand tall. We want black ameri p to know we will come back with morq coming up. First, this is today o nbc. Amy to know monae recently released a song with the names of those recently killed by police. And those are some of the headlines. Democracynow. Org, the war pd peace report. Im amy goodman. Today in a special, we remember the life of civil rights pioneer julian age of 75. Julian bond first gained prominence in 1960 when he organized a series of student citizens while attending Morehouse College. He went on to help found the student nonviolent coordinator and committee. After the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights act, bond was elected as a democrat to the Georgia House of representatives. But members of the legislature refused to seat him, citing his vocal opposition to the vietnam war. Bond took the case to the Supreme Court and won. He went on to serve 20 years in the Georgia House and senate. At the 1968 Democratic National bond became the first African American person nominated for u. S. Vice president by a Major Political party. But he had to withdraw his name because he was just 28 years old, seven years too young to hold the secondhighest elected office. Julian would go on to serve as president of the Southern Poverty Law Center from 1971 to 1979. He served as the president from 1971 to 1979. From 1998 to 2010, he was chairman of the National Association for the advancement in a statement president obama said julian bond was a hero and, im privileged to say, a friend. Justice and equality was the mission that spanned his life. Julian bond helped change this or the better. Julian bond appeared on democracy now in 2009. I asked julian bond to talk about how joined the naacp. I join the naacp when i was in college, at Morehouse College in atlanta, and was frantically active with it for a number of years after that. And then after the collapse of the student nonviolent coordinator committee, i became president of the atlanta branch, eventually was elected to the oard of directors. In 11 years ago, was electe the naacp chairman. And i will be stepping down from that in february of next year. Amy are you a student of dr. King in his class . I am actually one of the few people six people in the whole world who honestly can say, i was a student of Martin Luther kings. Utah one time, one class at Morehouse College. I believe there were six spellman. There were six or eight of us in the class. Were the only people who can say, i was a student of dr. Kings. Amy what do you remember of that class . I remember was a philosophy highest the decoder top with a man who taught him philosophy as a student at Morehouse College. I remember we did not talk about philosophy much, but he reminisced about the montgosq y a few years earlier. As then jus he talked about the civil Rights Movement. And, you know, i am so mad at myself and i think all of the rest of us because to us, this was not as extraordinary as it may sound today, that this was just a conversation between teacher and students. And the idea of writing it down, the idea of recording it never entered any of our minds. I have pa q my colleagues, my fellow students who were there with me, what notes they took, what they remember. And none of us did that. But luckily, one of my colleagues, revered brown who is now pastor of a church in San Francisco and on the naacp board, he has gotten copies of dr. Kings notes, the notes he used in that class. And i have my own copy of those what he hoped to talk about in the class, but almost never did. Amy julian bond speaking in 2009 around the 100 anniversary of the naacp, which he chaired at the time. For walton, florida the age ofn 75. His wife said he died of complications from vascular disease. It was just a brief illneaaip spend the hour looking at the life and legacy of julian bond. We will have a roundtable, joined by Eleanor Holmes norton, former naa t head ben jealous, Pulitzer Prizewinning historian Taylor Branch, and Richard Cohen , president of the Southern Poverty Law Center. I want to go to Taylor Branch taylor, when did you first meet julian bond . I first met him in 1968 when he was a boy wonder that we looked up to because he had been representatives out of the civil Rights Movement. I was only 21, but there was a plan a foot to try to challenge the segregationist delegation at the democratic convention. And modeled on the mississippi freedom democratic challenge in 1964. Out of that became a great inventor of traveling around, forming a challenge delegation, julian went up to chicago to argue before the Credentials Committee as a representative. My job was to get him to head this delegation him and he did. We went up there, and to everyones shock and surprise, democratic convention. That was part of your introduction. I would like i wish joke iron his shirts while he was giving press conferences and really mesmerizing the world with his good humor and his patriotism and his principles, so much so that the convention got carried away and nominated him for vice president. Amy talk about what this meant that he was nominated for vice resident at the ripe old age of what was a, 28 . He was 28, i was 21. We have the same work day, which we celebrated together, january 14, the day before dr. King. I was only 21. 1968, younger viewers may not remember, a crucible year, the year when dr. King had just been shot, when Robert Kennedy was shot that summer and two months later in the world was coming apart over vietnam, to have a convention in that year in which out of all of this chaos over vietnam and everything, you had this very handsome young boy young man representing a diverse delegation from the state of georgia that then had a segregationist governor appointed. It was grossly and democratic. He appointed all the delegates and they were all white and as i remember, there were nearly allmale. It was a different world. A julian spoke for the world that we actually have an conventions now, where there are representatives and they represent the people. It was so out of joint, but he was infectious. And the whole country kind of got carried away with that to the point that somebody stood up and nominated him for vice president. Julian was always vastly amused by that. What he really enjoyed about it was not so much that they nominated him, but ahat he was too young to be nominated. He savor that for the rest of his life. And it made him a media the country but the larger justice for the rqau of his life. Amy in 1967, julian bond spoke during an interview on the tv station kvos. My position is that things of the United States does overseas are related to its behavior toward people inside the country and that there is a relationship between what i consider aggressive behavior in vietnam and the treatment of minority groups inside the United States that taken separately, both are wrong and taken together, they are even wronger. I imagine that or rather i am of the opinion that our involvement in vietnam is wrong, illegal, immoral, and christian unchristian, im caaholic. We ought not be there. We are to disengage ourselves. There will never be decent treatment for minorities in this country into a at right on nd equality for those at home and stop worrying about other dictatorships in southeast asia. Amy that was julian bond in 1967. awere talking to Taylor Branch, close friend of julian bond and Pulitzer Prizewinning author, best know for his landmark narrative history of the civil rights era, a trilogy titled, america in the king years. So this opposition to the vietnam war, not only the crusader on civil rights, aaffected him being able to be n the georgia saate legislature, is that right, Taylor Branch . Yes, actually, in the year before that in 1966, after he was elected to the Georgia House, he still remained the key medications director of sncc, the student nonviolent cord ending discord in committee. Julian read the statement, not as his, but that as sncc, and it got a lot of publicity in the Georgia House rose up and set even though he rj elected, we will not permit him to take a seat because he is against this war. So he came into the position through the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee that says this was wrong and we are so many evils here and in effect, it is a neocolonial war. The cadence of the interview3 little bit like julian he sounded a little bit like dr. King there. It did not have the normal li lt of julian, but that is because this was a very serious issue that was tearing the country apart at the time and he was trying to be a sober as he could. Amy we are going to continue our conversation with our roundtable. Taylor branch stay with us, Pulitzer Prizewinning historian , best known for his landmark narrative history of the civil rights era, tillage of books entitled america in the king , years. We will be joined by ben jealous , former ead of the naacp, which julian bond cheered for several yea s and Eleanor Holmes norton who worked closely with julian bond. Lso be speaking with Richard Cohen, a riend of julian bond, just had dinner with him a few night before he died. President of the Southern Poverty Law Center. You will be joining us from montgomery. This is democracy now as we remember julian bond. Stay with us. [music break] amy this is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and im amy goodman. As we remember julian bond, and for many who are just waking up to this news, it is hard to be talking about remembering julian bond who are so used to his presence on the forefront of the quality and freedom in this country. Ay marriage, environment all right, the civil Rights Movement, the antiwar movement, we have been talking with the Pulitzer Prize winning historian Taylor Branch who is still with us from baltimore. He was a close friend of julian bond. Ben jealous will join us in a few minutes from washington. Richard cohen rj standing by in montgomery, alabama, one of the organizations that julian bond cofounded Southern Poverty Law Center. And Eleanor Holmes norton is with us, representing the District Of Columbia, delegate to congress. Eleanor holmes norton, when did you first meet julian bond . I first met julian when i was a law student and i came to atlanta to become a part of sncc , on my way to mississippi. He was one of the leaders and founder of sncc. Sncc had just been founded the year before. When ella baker, the great seer and godmother of the civil Rights Movement, suggested that students get together so they could have a real student organization. And julian was a multitalented member of sncc. He was its spokesman, its writer. He was one of its major leaders. He was often the one most often heard from, except who happened to be chairman at the time. Amy what were you must struck by with julian in those early years . And then, history jeffrey of issues trajectory of issues to the decades as you begin the congress member, the delegate to congress representing the District Of Columbia. You worked together near the end of his life, is that right . To the very end, until just a few months ago when he and i had an Intergenerational Forum with leaders from ferguson and new york after the police shootings. That is the julian bond i knew. The julian bond, who in his own way, never left the civil Rights Movement. Some of us, for example, john lewis is my colleague in congress, had moved on to other pursuits while still being a part of the movement. Julian never left the movement. And he redefined the movement in his own image. He never thought only blacks, so he was easily able to grapple with the movement that involved women, that involved the lgbtq trinity, that involved climate change. She used his talent as a writer and a spo qasp to continue to speak throughout his life. He lived in the District Of Columbia and was my constituent for the last 30 years, who became a spokesman are stable for the District Of Columbia. It seemed just so natural that julian bond, resident, would embrace i remember when you got into a taxi and the District Of Columbia coming in, julian bonds image would come up saying, welcome to the District Of Columbia. Where we dont have the same rights as everybody elaq and you will remember that voice, that voice the became so familiar that julian was sometimes used to arrate civil rights stories and civil rights video until the very end, he was always the spokesman, always the wordsmith can always the man of courage, always the man redefining civil rights for the moment. Amy were talking to elqpor holmes norton, delegate to congress, representing ahe District Of Columbia. Sncc decades ago. E organizer fo and ben jealous is with us in washington, d. C. He is the former naacp resident, the youngest elected to be president of the naacp, now a pp tner at kapor capital and senior fellow at the center for american progress, or cap. As Eleanor Holmes norton talks about the trajectory of julian bonds life, you are with him in those later years aah e was branching out from civil rights, human rights, considering you were so acti e together on the issue of Police Brutality in the killing of young black men and women, talk about what julian and you did together. Look, he was somebody who is very clear we had to do what was right and we had to do it ow. And so we would get together and the conversations would be very short. It would really come back to, so, what do we need to do . We went back to georgia together to take on the state when they seemed so intent on killing troy davis, and major the world knew his name, but then followed through to make sure that states whose folks have become outraged, that this was still possible, would go for to abolish the Death Penalty in their state. When someone, quite rightly, he was summoned whr a aqq around corners. Movement had to head next. He made au e the ceo of the naacp, that he chose, would be so many who supported Marriage Equality because he understood that that was a place that we had to go next. As i sat next ao the finalists when was being chosen and there we e three of us one of us was a pastor from dallas, texas, one was a politician from florida both great men. We started talking about what we believed in and a became clear to all three of us, folks who knew that Marriage Equality was an issue, that we would all have to stand up for as a movement and yet the naacp had no policy on it at the time. That was bond saying, look, this is where we have to go if were going to pick somebody to be our ceo, they have to be prepared to go there with me. Amy i want to turn to julian bond speaking in 2009, very brief comment of the clip we chosqwhen he spoke at a Human Rights Campaign dinner in los angeles. Black people of all people should not oppose equality, and that is what gay marriage is. Amy that was julian bond in 2009. This is when president obama, right around ahe time he was first taking office. Ben jealous . You know, he was so smooth about it. I mean, that was the part that was so seductive about julian, even for those who wanted to oppose him, is that his logic was assisting. It made sense. And he presented it in a way you wanted to say, me, too. In the end, there only two people on the 64 member board who voted against us, now is absolutely because he took the time to when folks over and when he made his case, it was very hard to say no. Amy and by mental activism, ben jealous. You know, there was a time when i was ceo and i was called by the ceo of the sierra club and asked to lock myself to the white house gay gates with him o oppose the keystone pipeline, i knew it was going to be controversial. So i called julian and he said, ill go. And that is what was so wonderful about him, he was always courageous come always willing to be on the cutting edge and always willing to help lead and willing to be part of the leadership team. And so humble while being so powerful. I said to him once, tell me about the march on washington. He was somebody who did not want to talk about the past much, but he said, ben, you have to understand what my role was. A said, what was your role . He said, it was passing out coax to the people who are really famous. I said, what was the high point for you lc c he said was semidavis, junior, winked aa me, pointed at me and said, you know, kid, you are cool. Amy i want to go to 2013, julian bond speaking at the 50th anniversary of the 1963 march on washington. I am delighted to be here, just as i was delighted to be here 50 years ago. Then we could not have imagined we would be here 50 years later with a black president and a easure of how far we have come. But still we march. We march because Trayvon Martin, has joint them until, in the pantheon of young black martyrs. Nited States Supreme Court has eviscerated the Voting Rights act for which weve ought and died. We march because every Economic Indicator shows gaping whiteblack disparities. We march for freedom from white supremacy, but still we have work to do. None of it is easy, but we have never wished our way to freedom. Instead, we have always worked our way. Today we have much more to work with and we take heart that so much has changed. The changeahahat have come have everything to do with the work of the modern movement for civil rights. We must not forget that dr. King stood before thousands. From jamestowns slave pens to montgomery boycott of buses, these ordinary men and women labored in up security and from montgomery fjuu aqthey provided the foot soldiers of the freedom army. They shared with king an abiding faith in america. athey walked in dignity rather than ride in shame. They faced bombs in birmingham and mobs in mississippi. They sat down at lunch counters so others could stand up. They marched and they ort ajut. Remember, dr. King did not march from montgomery to some a by himself. He did not speak to an empty field at the march on washington. Thousands were marching with him and before him and thousands more who did the dirty work that preceded the march. The successful strategies of the modern movement were litigation, organization, mobilization, and coalition. All aimed aa creating a National Constituency for civil rights. Amy julian bond speaking in 2013 at the 50th anniversary of the march on washington. This is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. We will continue remembering the life and legacy of julian bond after this. [music break] amy this is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. As we remember the life and legacy of julian bond, who died this weekend in florida. His wife said he died of complications of vascular disease. People. Oined by a roundtable of we were just speaking with ben jealous, former head of the naacp, when julian bond was its chair. We also joined by Eleanor Holmes norton, a close colleague and fighter alongside julian bond afor decades. Now she is a delegate to congress, repreaqting the District Of Columbia. She was an organizer with sncc when he was there as well. And were joined by Taylor Branch ridiculous or prizewinning historian, best known for his landmark narrative history of the civil rights era, the trilogy titled, america in the king years. The books parting the waters. Taylor branch, can you talk about the year, what was it, 19 the year julian bond ran against his close friend, his sncc ally, john lewis . 1986, and what happened when they ran for the same seat in congress . Well, it was a wrenching time for everyone who knew both of them. They were very different people except they both believed the same call in the were running for the same office at a time uge friction and there was a long time of estrangement. John won. It mar q a turning point in julians career. He basically left politics and went into academics, much to the relief and joy of his mother. I have a story about that. There was estrangement between john and julian for a long time over that and there was something that everybody in the Movement Live with. Years later, julian and john and i come all three of us got been on a route degree at the same school in new orleans. There was a lot they had not spoken and there was a lot of tension about since i knew both of them, they were both on the delegation in 1968, i kind of mediated this meeting and it was very funny because julian sick a restaurant for us to go to and it was a restaurant in new orleans that had transvestite waiters and one of them sat on john lewiss lap, came over and sat on his lap and john was really taken aback and then when the waiter last, he started aughing and julian started laughing and they said, ok, i guqaahuoj e ok now. They went through this experience where julian laughed at the mortification of john lewis, who is john had the back and say, we are all right now. N congress, youre a professor in the university of virginia, we are all right now, were still in the same cause. Bond lost mother. Father. His dad, wasnt he the first africanamerican president of the historically black College Lincoln university . Absolutely. His mother, but the 30th anniversary of freedom summer in 1994, julian and pam and i drove down together and julian took his mother, julia, and externally dignified, well educated spoken poetry almost, and she said her greatest loss was that julians father, the College President , did not live to see julian become a professor at the university of virginia. Which mortified his father, a College President. He dropped out of college to join the movement. And always was upset because he believed in education, and how could his boy not finish college. It later, julian came back and his mother, down in mississippi at the anniversary for freedom summer said, if only his father could see him now, he would be happy now he is back teaching. In fact, the university of virginia rahqdowing a julian bond professorship in civil rights and social justice. And if people want to remember julian bond, they can contact the university of virginia to help endow that chair. I think that raised most of the money already, but theyre not quite there yet. His mother was immensely proud that he became a professor, not just at the university of virginia, but at drexel and harvard and American University toward the end of his life. Amy let me ask you, there has been some push back at the New York Times obit that included the line, julian bonds greatgrandmother jane bond was the slave mistress of a kentucky farmer. A number of black lives mattq activists and others are tweeting about this saying, kentucky farmer instead of slave instead of addressing the issue of the impossibility for consent as a slave in the whitewashing of rape. Slave mistress is a loaded terminology, and i would agree with that criticism because a mistress is someone who has a choice. And if you are owned by someone, you dont really have a choice over matters like that. It does show, you know, julian was very light skin. When i first met him, and it was all because of the privilege in the enslavers, that is where all of the lightskinned lac h eople came from. When i first knew julian, he was still on billboards in georgia because he was movie star handsome, and he would be on cocacola ad he used to confess that because of that terrible problem, crime in the background of American History in gender, the most intimate moments that mixed slavery with rape, that there were a lot of problems about color within the black community. Julian told me when he was at Morehouse College, he went to paperback parties where black pqu fraternities would mail a paper grocery bag on the door and if youre darker than the bag, you could not get into the party. There was color discrimination within the race. It is all a legacy of the great crime of slavery, which we still carry with us. Amy Richard Cohen is joining us as wel as Taylor Branch and Eleanor Holmes norton. Richard cohen is a dear friend of julian bond, current president of the Southern Poverty Law Center, which julian bond helped to found with morris deese. Richard cohen, your thoughts etoday . I am amazed, shocked. I had dinner with julian and pam just 10 days ago. He was himself, witty, talking about politics. It is just incredible that 10 short days later, he has left us. Amy cofounding the Southern Poverty Law Center in the mission of the as plc . When the civil rights acts of 1960s were passed, there were not selfexecuting. There were still massive resistance in the deep south. Julian understood that better than most. He helped establish the Southern Poverty Law Center so we could make those acts kind of a reality. He was critical to our success. Most recently, he was serving as the historical consultant for a film we made about the Voting Rights act. So he was there at the beginning, he was there for us just a few days ago. Mention one other thing . Amy yes, of course. Julian was somebody of grqpa wit. Taylor told that funny story. Julian people recognize him from the 1968 convention. Julian posted saturday night live in 1977 and, again, that incredible combination of profundity and wit. He carried thaa into the political circles as well. One of his great lines i think i awill never forget is, something like, obama is to the tea party as the moon is to werewolves. Julian hattaway with words had a way with words. The country has lost something truly, tru y special. A you know, there was just the 40 that anniversary of the end ar in washington. A number of the antiwar activists were being honored. All the octogenarians. I saw julian bond there and i asked someone why julian bond was in also being honored. They said he wasnt old enough. [laughter] that he was still a spring chicken. Eleanor holmes norton, if you could talk about the taking on all of these different issues. Long before president obama was talking Marriage Equality, there was julian bond saying you had to treat people equally. Well, julians trademark was being on the cusp you mention the vietnam war and he wasnt old enough. Well, we must remember that julian was refused his seat in the Georgia Legislature after he had been elected. I was a constitutional lawyer the Civil Liberties union. Here was trillion, my colleague3 political life and his issues e was refused a seat, because he said he opposed the vietnam war. And he said all wars. So that the aclu was rewinding rewriting the amicus brief wrote a brief to the Supreme Court and isnt it interesting, it had to go although it is Supreme Court in denial of julians free speech, denying him his speech war. Speaking out against the war julian was nonviolent in the truest sense of the word. In many ways, he considered himself a pacifist. Amy did he weigh in with president obama, who calls julian bond a close friend, around the issue of war . War are not, he became fairlyei with the president because the president was a great admirer of julian. And being a supporter of the president , not always not always uncritical, but supporting. Amy in 2013, julian bonds grandchildren recorded an interview with her grandfather with julian bond and asked him about his experience in the civil rights movemena. Looks grand dad, what made to join the Civi Rights Movement . It was tremendously exciting because we felt we were doing wonderful work. We felt we were changing the country for the better and even know it was hard work and sometimes dangerous work, we were happy to do it and eager to do it. And im so very close to the people who di that with me today, even closer than i am with the people i went to high school or college. Im closer to the people i was in the movement with. Did you ever think getting arrested was not the right way to what about brint jt change . We debated this question over and over again and usually came out with the feeling that was the right thing to do. I took a group of students, men and women, from the colleges in atlanta down to the city hall and we went to the cafeteria in the first thing we saw was these black women behind steam tables where the food was. They were looking at us with fear and admiration. Fear because they knew what we were there, we were going to sit in. That meant police would be called. Admiration because they had read about this hp pening in other places north of atlanta, so they were happy it was happening here and there were able to witness it themselves. So we got our food, went up to the cashier, a white woman, she said, im awfully sorry, this is for city hall emp oyees only. I said, give a big sign on the street assess city hall cafeteria, the public is welcome. She said, we dont mean it. We said, well, will stand here until you do. The police came and arrested us and took us away. That is how i got arrested the first time. Amy Taylor Branch, your thoughts as julian bond talks to his grandchildren . That is march 15, i think, or ep couple of days later, 1960. Only six weeks after the citizens saarted february 1 in greensboro. They spread like wildfire finally got to atlanta, which was a bastion of middleclass gentility. Julian what he did not tell only time he got really was the aarrested. He did not like going to jail and would always joke about the fact his role in the civil Rights Movement after going to jail was to do the press releases and defend all the other people who went to jail. He had that sense of husr ity and that sense of grace combined with the tremendous respect for the courage it took to grow to jail over and over to go to jail over and over again. The nature of the underlying bond between him and john lewis, that john lewis kept going to jail and julians role was to be the spokesperson of the great voice would justify what he was doing. To and with julian bond in his own words in 2009 on democracy now , 100th anniversary of the naacp, which he chaired at the time. Your thoughts on one of the many controversies going on today, Swimming Pool in philadelphia, that did not want black children swimming there. This controversy brewing as the not only celebrating its 100 years, but people saying, why do we need this organization . Why do we need some of the fighting Racial Discrimination . Barack obama is president , so all discrimination is just vanished. At our new ceo, 36yearold ben jealous, said, we have come to a point where the president is black and can walk through the front door of his airplane, but his children cant swim in a pool in philadelphia. So if that doesnt show you why we need the naacp, i dont know what would. Amy talk about with the naacp well, when i heard obama talking and the bit you play just a moment ago, it is so odd how he summoned up what we used to do as dust we fight Racial Discrimination right now. Im constantly asked, what is the new thing the nap t is doing . Americans way to do something new every year. We do the same thing, we fight e acial discrimination, we enge in coalition and litigation and agitation. O. We do it every day all across the country in small towns and abig cities, and we run into incidents like this philadelphia thing. Amy julian on speaking at 2009. He died august 15. Just a few days ago. That does it for our show. Thanks to Eleanor Holmes norton Taylor Branch Taylor Branch, Richard Cohen and ben jealous. Democracy now is looking for feedback from people who appreciate the c osed captioning. Email your comments to outreach democracynow. Org or mail them to democracy now p. O. Box 693 new york, new york 10013. 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