UVA History professor and civil rights luminary Julian Bond has announced that he won’t seek re-election as NAACP National Board Chairman.
The NAACP website reports that, in a written statement, Bond said it was his intention to serve as chairman until the organization’s centennial, in February of next year.
"This is the time for renewal. We have dynamic new leadership. The country has a new President in Barack Obama; the organization has a new CEO in Benjamin Jealous, and we’ll soon have a new Chairman of the NAACP Board. The NAACP and the country are in good hands," Bond said.
He will continue to be involved, but would like to see new leaders take over and shape the organization.
Bond was elected chairman in 1998. In 2002, Bond was awarded the prestigious National Freedom Award, whose past recipients include Jackie Robinson, Bill Clinton, Oprah Winfrey, Bono, Magic Johnson and Rosa Parks.
In September, UVA’s Julian Bond received a Library of Congress Living Legend Award for the legacy of his lifetime work.