December 8, 2008 Dear NAACP Board Members and SCF Trustees:
The outpouring of support from a supermajority of Board members – and from State and Regional Leadership and rank-and file members - asking me to run again for NAACP Board Chairman has convinced me to change my mind.
I will be a candidate for Chairman when the Board convenes in February.
This decision was made by the flood of written, telephoned, mailed and e-mailed appeals I received asking me to reconsider. I am eternally grateful to all those who contacted me.
I hope that continuity in the Chairman’s position will, as many suggested, enhance our Centennial celebration. I also share the hope expressed by many that we can operate with increased civility and harmony in our Board deliberations. We owe it to each other and to the Association.
As we approach a new day in our national leadership, I look forward to a renewed day in our own.
Sincerely,
Julian Bond
Board Chairman
After 10 years of volunteer service as the NAACP National Board Chairman Julian Bond, 68, announced he would not seek reelection when his term ends in February 2009.
"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," he added.
In a letter to Board members, Bond wrote that he would not run for reelection as Chairman of the National Board, however he will remain on the Board. He also intends to run for reelection to the Board when his three-year term ends. "It has always been my plan to serve until the Centennial which will be underway in February when my term ends," said Bond. "I'm not resigning, I'm just not running for reelection," he added.
NAACP Board members and officers are volunteers in elected positions. The Chairmanship is a one-year term and Board members serve a three-year term.
For Bond, this decision was part of a life change. "Being Chairman has been a wonderful honor however, it has been more time demanding than anything I’ve ever done. I'm ready to let a new generation of leaders lead," he said.
“We appreciate Chairman Bond's commitment and look forward to his continued active involvement on the Board,” said Benjamin Todd Jealous.
About Julian Bond
Julian Bond was elected as the Chairman of the Board of NAACP in 1998. In 2002, Bond was awarded the National Freedom Award, a prestigious award whose recipients in past years include Jackie Robinson, Bill Clinton, Oprah Winfrey and Rosa Parks. The holder of twenty-five honorary degrees, Bond is a Distinguished Professor at American University in Washington, DC, and a Professor in history at the University of Virginia.
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