New York, NY, August 16, 2015 … The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today expressed deep sorrow at the passing of Julian Bond, a giant of the civil rights movement and lifelong champion of justice. Bond, one of the original founding members of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee, and longtime leader of the NAACP, was 75.
Jonathan A. Greenblatt, ADL National Director, issued the following statement from Atlanta, where he gave remarks earlier today at Ebenezer Baptist Church:
The world lost an incredible champion of civil rights today. From his work as an original founder of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee, to his decades of dedication to the NAACP and service in the Georgia legislature, Julian Bond dedicated his life to social justice. We cannot overstate or overestimate the degree to which his courage and tenacity moved our country forward in civil rights. He was a champion not only for the end of racism, but hatred and bigotry of any kind.
Julian Bond once said, ‘The civil rights movement didn't begin in Montgomery and it didn’t end in the 1960s. It continues on to this very minute.’
As we extend our condolences to Mr. Bond’s family and mourn his passing, we also rededicate ourselves to continuing to fight for the causes to which he dedicated his life.