Noted civil rights activist Julian Bond will deliver a free public lecture as part of the local 2003 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. birthday celebration that also includes tomorrow’s story time for children, prayer and worship opportunities and a film and panel discussion.
Bond’s 7 p.m. talk Friday, Jan. 17, is sponsored by Eastman Chemical Co., ETSU, and Wellmont Health System, as well as several individuals and other organizations. The event will be held in the Centre at Millennium Park’s Mountain States Ballroom. Refreshments will be served after his talk, and those in attendance will have an opportunity to meet and visit with Bond.
Currently chairman of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the country’s oldest and largest civil rights organization, Bond began his civil rights activities as a student at Atlanta’s Morehouse College where he founded the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. As SNCC’s communications director, Bond was active in protests and voter registration campaigns throughout the South.
A leader in the movements for civil rights, economic justice and peace, he has also faced jail for his convictions.
Bond served more than 20 years in the Georgia General Assembly. First elected in 1965 to the Georgia House of Representatives, he was prevented from taking his seat by members who objected to his opposition to the Vietnam War. He was re-elected to his own vacant seat and unseated again, finally being seated only after a third election and a unanimous decision of the U.S. Supreme Court.
He was co-chair of a challenge delegation from Georgia to the 1968 Democratic Convention. The challengers successfully unseated Georgia’s “regular” Democrats, and Bond was nominated for vice president but had to decline because he was too young.
In the Georgia Senate, Bond became the first black chair of the Fulton County Delegation, the largest and most diverse in the upper house, and chair of the Consumer Affairs Committee. During his legislative tenure, he was sponsor or co-sponsor of more than 60 bills which became law.
He is a commentator on America’s Black Forum, the oldest black-owned show in television syndication.
Bond’s poetry and articles have appeared in numerous publications, and he has narrated many documentaries, including the Academy Award-winning “A Time for Justice” and the prize-winning and critically acclaimed series “Eyes on the Prize.”
The writer and lecturer holds 20 honorary degrees and is a Distinguished Professor at American University in Washington, D.C., as well as a history professor at the University of Virginia.
Another special event locally for the King Holiday observance is a film viewing of “A Jury of Her Peers,” followed by a panel discussion on Sunday, Jan. 19, beginning at 6 p.m. in the Johnson City Public Library.
In addition, a prayer breakfast with the theme “Unity & Progress Takes Prayer” will be hosted at Wesley Memorial United Methodist Church, 225 Princeton Road, on Saturday, Jan. 18, from 9-10:45 a.m.
The Langston Heritage Group is presenting the second annual prayer breakfast featuring Rev. L.D. Lattany as speaker, with music by T.R. and Carla Dunn, and by Robert and Karen White. Additional prayers will be offered by area clergy and church officials, as well as governmental, educational and civic leaders. Seating is limited. Free tickets may be picked up at L&E Images, 207 Elm St., and at area churches.
A community-wide worship service is also planned for Monday, Jan. 20, at 7:30 p.m. in St. Paul A.M.E. Zion Church, 201 Welbourne St. Participat-ing clergy will include Rev. Randy Hensley, Rev. Leroy Blair, and Minister Pam Daniels, and special music will be provided by local praise and worship groups.
For information on any of these events or special assistance for persons with disabilities, call Joy Fulkerson, MLK Holiday Steering Committee, at 439-5675.

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