Chairman emeritus of NAACP to deliver Morris lecture

April 06, 2011

Julian Bond, chairman emeritus of the NAACP National Board of Directors, will deliver the 11th annual John P. Morris Memorial Lecture, honoring the late John Peyton Morris, on April 14, at the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law.<separator></separator>Morris, a faculty member at the College of Law from 1968 to 1993, was committed to the principles of justice and equal opportunity, and he worked tirelessly throughout his life to foster diversity.<separator></separator>Bond, a legendary figure in America’s civil rights movement, will give the talk, "Under Color of Law" beginning at 4:30 p.m. in the Great Hall in the College of Law’s Armstrong Hall on Arizona State University’s Tempe campus. The event is presented by the John P. Morris Black Law Students Association.<separator></separator>“Julian Bond is one of the towering figures of the 20th century civil rights movement, and we are thrilled to bring him to campus,” said Paul Schiff Berman, Dean of the College of Law.<separator></separator>The lecture is free and open to the public, and tickets are available at <a href="http://morrislecture2011.eventbrite.com/">http://morrislecture2011.even… addition to serving as NAACP chairman, Bond was the first president of the Southern Poverty Law Center, a civil rights law firm based in Alabama that is internationally known for tracking and exposing the activities of hate groups. He also served for 20 years as a Georgia legislator, in both the state house and senate, where he organized the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus.<separator></separator>While still attending college, Bond founded the Committee on Appeal for Human Rights, a student civil rights organization that directed nonviolent anti-segregation efforts. In the 1960s, he helped form the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, which played a major role in sit-ins, freedom rides and the 1963 March on Washington. And in 2002, he was awarded the National Freedom Award, which honors individuals who have made significant contributions to civil rights.<separator></separator>Bond has a bachelor’s degree in English from Morehouse College and holds more than 20 honorary degrees. Today, he continues to lecture about the history of the civil rights movement and is a Distinguished Professor at American University in Washington, D.C.<separator></separator>Past Morris lecturers include Benjamin Todd Jealous, president and chief executive office of the NAACP, Rossie E. Turman II, partner, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher and Flom, and Matthew C. Whitaker, Associate Professor of History, ASU.<separator></separator>Staci McCabe, <a href="mailto:Staci.McCabe@asu.edu">Staci.McCabe@asu.edu</a> (480) 965-8702 Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law

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