A few words in Remembrance of Horace Julian Bond
.I grew up in Atlanta Georgia in the 1950s and came of age in the 1960s it was a hell of a time and place for a man to develop if you were paying attention. It was really when I read about the “Freedom Riders” that I really went from playing childhood games to having real heroes..that was 1961..Atlanta was and is a city “chock full” of traditionally Black Colleges ..and after the Freedom Rides the city became a “hot bed” of Black student activity. I was junior high aged the first time I sneaked out of my Mom’s church to go to a meeting I knew was being held at another church..for what was to become known as the “Atlanta Student Movement”..There were two people that I saw for the first time Julian Bond..and Lonnie King..who impressed me even then with their commitment and leadership..but I was not even in high school yet and was “shewed” away from other meetings…but as time went on I kept coming back ..All through high school I tried to get involved with my heroes in the student movement that became SNCC ..I would fetch coffee or coca cola..make a run for food..do anything just to be there..eventually I was to really get involved..and my first real SNCC activity was to go with the Atlanta group to Selma in March of 1965..you all know what happened there.And I still have the scars.. Through out this time Julian Bond was a constant example of dedication to the mission. While other people were stuck in rooms arguing or maneuvering for leadership positions Julian would be out in some little town talking to people about registering to vote..in places where he was often in grave danger..I was not close to Julian at that time..It was always “go get Tim the projects kid” to get this of to go and fetch that..but I did not mind..I was “There” It was 1966 that Julian was pushed onto the World stage when he was elected to the the Georgia state House of Representatives…and at that time there was NO WAY the house was going to accept one of those crazy “Snick niggers” as we were called into the State house.On January 10, 1966, Georgia state representatives voted 184–12 not to seat him because he had publicly endorsed SNCC’s policy regarding opposition to U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War.. In 1966, the United States Supreme Court ruled 9–0 in the case of Bond v. Floyd (385 U.S. 116) that the Georgia House of Representatives had denied Bond his freedom of speech and was required to seat him..After that I did not see Julian for several years..By the time I did I was an adult ..and a young adult at that..and had returned to Atlanta and opened a chapter of the Black Panther Party..The first week we were opened Julian Bond and Andrew Young came by to see us with two clergymen whose names I can not recall. It was funny in that Andy Young recognized me from Selma but Julian didn’t recognize “Tim the projects kid” all grown up..I had to remind him about a week later when he stopped by to see the Free Breakfast program in full operation..I felt really good that even though all of us were still young, that one of the people I considered an “Elder” of the movement ..( Julian was thirty at that time I was about Twenty two)..was proud and happy about something I had done..That was 1970..The last time I saw Julian in person was when we agreed to meet for lunch in.D.C. in 2000 where we talked about his work with the NAACP and how “back in the day” we considered them to be a group of tired old men with tired ideas. We also talked about the relationship between youth and stupidity and danger..and all the things we both had done as younger people that we simply had too much “common sense” to do today. It amazed us both as old men how close we were to getting killed so many times. And even then when I told Julian that I was never in his league..he did not agree and spoke of how many times law enforcement in the sixties and seventies had decided that I had to go..and how many people really feared for my life..to me this was just a part of the fact that with all his fame Julian never took himself too seriously ..and just like back in the old SNCC days it was more important to “get the work done” than to worry about recognition or who was in charge.. Horace Julian Bond (January 14, 1940 – August 15, 2015) a hero for a young Tim Hayes..and one hell of a decent guy for the rest of the world..we wont see another like that.
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