February 5, 2008
NAACP chairman Bond: movement not over
Julian Bond, distinguished adjunct professor in residence at SPA, was on campus last week to teach his course, Politics of the Civil Rights Movement. The class traces the movement from 1900 to the mid-1960s, when Bond rose to prominence. American Today had the opportunity to sit down with Bond, chairman of the NAACP, to discuss current student perceptions of the state of the civil rights movement.
Q: How much do your students today know about the
history of the movement?
A: “They know almost nothing of the details. Here’s what they know: There was segregation; Martin Luther King marched in protest; then he got killed; and then everything changed. They’re curious. They know there was this movement. They know there’s more to know about than they know, and they want to know about it.”
Q: Do your students think the movement is over?
A: “It’s interesting. They think all those things are done. Dr. King did all those things, so we don’t have to worry about them anymore. I tell them to look around them, to read the newspapers, to look at this presidential campaign. It’s clear that race is an issue in this campaign. If that’s so, how can this be over? It’s very much with us. You can tell it’s not over by looking in the dining hall. All the white students sit together. They say, ‘That’s not true, it’s the black students sitting together.’”
Q: Why do you enjoy teaching?
A: “The great moment for any teacher, I don’t care what you’re teaching, is when you see a light go on. You can say ‘I did that.’ It’s the best feeling in the world.”
