 My name is Cale Wilson. I go to Northeast School of Arts for creative writing and is housed by Robert E. Lee and I Am gonna be a senior this year I'm Frederick Williams executive editor of prosperity publications former Professor at UTSA and African-American studies department and also I taught at SAC San Antonio College in Northwest Vista College Who exactly was Julian Bond Julian Bond was one of the original members of a group called Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee's Nick Julian Bond at the age. I believe about 20 When he was a student at Morehouse College Told his father that he was going to drop out of college and join in the civil rights movement Being influenced by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr There were a number of young men at that time that did the same thing because It was a generation that was now saying we're not going to accept Segregation we're not going to accept being second-class citizens and we're willing to put our life on the line and Also our education online because a lot of these young men got we kicked out of school because they got involved in the civil rights Movement. Yeah, would you really think about it? We we could go back to the 16th Street Church bombing in Birmingham, Alabama in September of 1963 When they put the bombs in the church to go off During Sunday school and we lost four beautiful little girls I think everyone at that time was pretty much getting sick and tired of what was happening And then we can even go back further to Emmett Till in 1955 when he was he said the wrong words to a white woman in money, Mississippi and the Husband and the woman's brother came and got him that night and took him out and and murdered him was a lynching and What happened is when he pulled his body out of the river his mother Mimi Till asked the officials in Mississippi to give her the body for A service in Chicago. Well, they asked her to make sure that they didn't open the casket She agreed as soon as she got the body in Chicago. She said no, I'm open. I want the world to see how vicious these people are and So they opened up the casket and they saw and we all saw I saw as a young young kid And we all were angry. I was up north living up in Michigan and we were very angry as young young kids and so then He was 15 years old his 15 years old when he was murdered and then later on that year we had Rosa Parks refusing to give up her seat on the bus and She makes I think let's become a classic statement. Why do you treat us all like this and Of course and that brings in dr. King with the Montgomery bus boycott and The next big thing is the students in Greensboro, North Carolina Sitting at the counter refusing to get up and if you saw the movie the Butler I believe whether the butler you saw scenes that that were Similar to what was happening in in North Carolina That brings about the students deciding to organize and started organization student nonviolent coordinating committee Snick John Lewis is probably one of the bravest men that This country has ever known He dropped out of school and enjoined snick and led all these marches and John Lewis got beat very badly He was really a disciple. I believe of dr. King and he now is serving in the Congress But he was very close to Julian Bond. They ran against each other for Congress in 1970s and for the district that John Lewis now holds he beat Julian Bond But Julian Bond was one of those young boys Idealistic who believed that there was no reason why we shouldn't be treated like every other American in this country And it was the generation said we're not taking anymore. That's it We're willing to to sacrifice our life to make a change and sacrifice our education and That's what Julian Bond. I'll say Mary and Barry used to be the mayor of Washington DC John Lewis and a lot of other Diane Nash Was just really sensational That's what they all did back then and they they they did it because they had something to believe in and and I like to Like to kind of compare it to you Hey, like you would have been one of those students that would have done that because of what you're doing over at Robert E. Lee you have the courage to say What is right to you and not back down and so you're the modern day not dying that Yeah, and and Julian Bond and on the rest of those people started started Their movement at a young age. Absolutely. Yeah much older than you. Yeah, so Why do you think that's so important to our like my generation the younger generation today? Oh I think it's so important to you all because I believe you're getting The the major media outlets in this country are determined to control How you think and what you think and what you see in terms of your race and your heritage and your history and your culture They're giving you programs like empire They're giving you programs like scandal There's nothing positive about these shows Absolutely nothing positive about about these shows So if that's what you're getting and you're not getting in your schools, you're not getting Julian Bond in your schools You'll get Dr. King. How can you not get Dr. King? He's larger than life but you're not getting the foot soldiers and so When I when I go on Facebook, sometimes I get depressed because I hear young girls talking about Olivia Olivia Pope is it in scandal, right? And not Ida B. Wells or not Ella Baker or not Fannie New Hamer These are these were black women that stood up and had the courage to fight so that you could be who you are You you you young people? I don't think that you should have to have gone through what they did But sometimes I think it might be good It might be good So you'll realize that you're not quite where you think you are in this country But I think that's what we're seeing now is you all are discovering as these police brutally attack young people that you're not there where you Where you want to be and so black lives matter is just a continuation of SNCC and what John Lewis and Julian did Julian Bond did back in the 60s. We're still fighting. We're still fighting There's there's no reason why you should have to tell a school board. This is offensive to me How dare you have a school named after a man that fought to keep my Ancestors as slaves, you shouldn't have to do that and that's what they were saying back then How dare you tell me I have to ride on the back of a bus? How dare you tell me I can't sit at this counter How dare you do that what gives you the right to do that? Who do you think you are and they challenged it and And they want they to a certain degree they won they won social equality Now the big battle is economic equality But that's what Julian bond represents I had the opportunity to meet and talk with Julian bond because what what Julian bond and Those guys and Dr. King did is they opened the door For many of us to walk in and one of the big areas where we needed to be was the public policy making in Washington DC and you found senators like center birch by who I worked for and Senator Edward Kennedy began to hire black Legislative aid and staffers because we were writing. I was right in the meetings with decisions were being made and so as a result I was the liaison from the senator's office to black leadership, so I bet with Julian bond Jesse Jackson Ben hooks and Vernon Jordan all those leaders Again, because by if they want something done on Capitol Hill They would come to Senator by to get it done But it opened that door and now you see even more black staffers on Capitol Hill And it all goes back to Julian bond and those young guys standing up and saying no more We're gonna change this and it was a very courageous act for them to do All right, and and you said that you have met Julian bond When was the first time you met him? Oh, let's see. I went to work for senator birch by in 1977. I met Julian when when President Carter nominated Griffin to be attorney general and Griffin had was from Georgia also and had belonged to some Segregated clubs and so all the leadership They were opposing Griffin and they're coming to senator by to try to get him to bring up the issue And among that group was Julian bond one time. I met Julian bond Well, I continued to know Julian bond in 78 when credit Scott King came to senator Kennedy's office and and senator by and asked the two senators would they introduce The Martin Luther King legislation on the Senate side to try to get it moving to make it a holiday and They agreed to and so with my job and a great closer in the mind Peter Parham was a black staffer from Kennedy We ran we put together the whole hearing and of course putting together the whole hearing We had to strategize with Julian with credit Scott King Congressman John Conyers and how we're gonna get this bill passed So that's another time and then of course when we would after we hold the hearings then Credit Scott King. We know we have to reach the public and so that's when we had the meeting brought Stevie Wonder in And I know you heard the song happy birthday to you. He wrote that to King in every year. We'd have this major Gathering on the on the mall in Washington, D.C. And so we would all be there and then I think I saw I was invited to Ebenezer Baptist Church and when was it I think it was right after we had introduced the legislation and They asked Peter and I to come down and speak at the church about how the legislation was moving through the Congress And so I saw him at that time also So I had the opportunity to speak at the church where Dr. Kingsville was a minister So that that's when those are the times I saw him I was close to Marion Barry. I did a lot with Marion Barry in D.C. And I almost went to work for John Lewis when he became congressman But I decided to get out of out of Congress and do something different. So Julian was very Determined very articulate and very radical Very radical. So those are the times that my dealings with Julian Bond As part of the bigger picture dealing with all the leadership, right? And I I know He is not mentioned that much in our history books. Um, I I can admit I haven't heard of him that much. What do you think is the most important thing from what he's done in his lifetime that? Like we should Learn from what do you think is courage? It's courage. It's courage his determination and his commitment to what's right His moral and ethical values Are the things that that I wish more of our young kids could grab on and latch on to that The example would be his opposition to the Vietnam War He came up very early and opposed the war In fact, he he won a seat in the Georgia State Legislature and they wouldn't let him take a seat because he had opposed the Vietnam War and He wasn't a friend of I you know, I don't want to knock President Johnson because I think Lyndon Johnson was one of the best friends as a president the black people ever had He gave us a civil rights bill and the Voting Rights Act and also fair housing but if you cross Lyndon Johnson, I mean he was not a kind of man you want to cross and And so I think Lyndon had something to do with him not getting his seat In the Georgia State Legislature, but that's the kind of principal person. He was I Have I Have one fault one problem with Julian Be honest with you, you know, no one's a saint. So I remember he opposed Shirley Chisholm When she was running for president and I thought that was in fact, he spoke out against her and I didn't that that's one of the flaws. I believe if I was writing his history. I would write it as being one of the flaws And one of Julian Bond's last speeches he Says we must practice the scent. How can young people today? Take away from that take away from what from the quote We we must practice the scent must practice the scent You if that goes to My old boss senator Birch by saying he'd tell us all the time the squeaky wheel gets the Greeks If you don't squeak, you're not gonna get greased Descent is squeaking Descent is saying I'm opposed to this. This is wrong and we're gonna change it. So we always I don't think you should live your life Looking for reasons to be opposed to something But when you see it and I don't care what it is And I I'm of I'm of Julius Julian Bond's generation and I do that now I make a loud noise. I don't like Empire I don't think Empire is good image of black people. I don't like scandal I don't think she gives a good image for for young black girls to follow and and I speak out I descend and I'm following what he said Make a noise Because if you don't make a noise, it'll never change and they'll keep doing it the way they want to do it And now it's it could be a lonely lonely Way to go as you're probably finding out with your descent right now to be very lonely And you have to be very strong. You have to be very determined To continue but in the long walk run, it'll pay off for you. And I think that's the point he was making young people need the descent and It's interesting. I'm glad he lived long enough to start to see you young people taking some of his vice with black lives matter That's great. That's great. Okay so much. Okay. I I think I've learned a lot from you About Julian Bond because of course You know in my history classes, we don't talk about him that much, but I'm glad that I I got speak to you about him So, thank you very much my pleasure. I'm happy to do it