2010 Production Schedule and Ad Rates Classified Ads Section We also accept Online-Only Ads at discounted rates! • AFSCME Local 2412- OFFICE MANAGER (50%) [Deadline March 15] • Dept.of WorkforceDevelopment- Attorney (Unemployment Insurance ALJ (Posted 03/03) Display Ads Section • Becker Law Office • AKAs' Men Who Cook Scholarship Fundraiser • Gov. Doyle Black History Month message • L K Haynes' Book of Poetry • Madison Urban Ministry musical fundraiser • Northport Apartments • Wisconsin Union Theater ******** Subscription Information: The Capital City Hues 303 Whispering Pines Way Madison, WI 53713 ($45 a year) Contact Number: (608) 241-2000 Advertising: Claire G. Mendoza sales@capitalcityhues.com |
| Unique hits only |
| Vol. 5 No. 4 February 25, 2010 |
| 64,218 |
EDITORIAL STAFF Jonathan Gramling Publisher & Editor Heidi Manabat Managing Editor Clarita G. Mendoza Sales Manager Contributing Writers Rita Adair, Paul Barrows, Alfonso Zepeda Capistran, Fabu, Andrew Gramling, Lang Kenneth Haynes, Eileen Cecille Hocker, Heidi Pascual, Jessica Pharm, Laura Salinger, Jessica Strong, & Martinez White Webmaster: Heidi @ managing.editor@capitalcityhues.com |
| It’s just one of those inevitable things. As the saying goes, all good things must come to an end. On February 20, Julian Bond stepped down as the chair of the board of the NAACP, a post he had held since 1998. Back in the late 1990s when I was the treasurer of the NAACP – Madison Branch, I had the honor of being a delegate to the NAACP national convention several times. There was nothing like an NAACP national convention to get one’s spirit up, to gain a positive perspective even when the U.S. Supreme Court was driving another dagger into the heart of affirmative action. Those conferences were special times. The conferences would kick off on Sunday night with a Public Mass Meeting, styled, I would imagine, after the nightly public rallies that were held during the Montgomery Bus Boycott and other prolonged civil rights actions in order to keep people informed and to keep their spirits high. The Public Mass Meetings would have gospel choir singing and several speakers to get the NAACP delegates and citizens from the community in attendance revved up for the coming week’s agenda. In my mind, Julian Bond’s speech at the Public Mass Meeting was the highlight of the entire convention, no matter who was coming to speak during the week, including President Bill Clinton. Bond’s oratory was unmatched by any who would appear. His command of the English language and deft turn of a phrase to make a point were awesome. He regularly skewered the opponents of affirmative action and civil rights with well- placed phrases that would whip the crowd into a frenzy at times. One would just have to laugh at the verbal imagery that would flow from his mouth. In a relatively short period of time that seemed to just fly by, Bond would put all of the major civil rights issues into perspective. Bond knew how to move an audience. I remember one time when Bond was the speaker at our local branch’s Freedom Fund Banquet maybe six years ago or so. He equated those who opposed affirmative action to a football team that owned the stadium, made the rules and owned the referees. The score was 42-0 and then the team declared ‘Can’t we now just play fair.’ Bond hammered home the injustice of using the 13th – 15th amendments to deny affirmative action for African Americans and others when there was such a large gulf in personal resources caused by centuries of slavery and discrimination. He had the audience laughing and clapping at the truth that he so eloquently laid before them. Julian Bond was one of the last vestiges of the 1950s – 1960s civil rights leaders who were still on the scene in visible and national civil rights positions. Bond is one of the co-founders of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) that fought discrimination across the South. He was the first president of the Southern Poverty Law Center and was elected to both houses of the Georgia Legislature. While a Georgia legislator, Bond was a national figure. His influence was big. At the Democratic National Convention in 1968, there was talk of nominating Bond as the vice presidential candidate. Bond has been a civil rights leader for decades who carried the spirit of the civil rights movement into the 21st century. All eras come to an end. In 2008, the NAACP appointed Ben Jealous as the president of the NAACP, the youngest in its 100 year history. And now, Roslyn Brock, Bond’s 44-year-old successor, becomes the youngest chair in the NAACP’s history. They are a leadership team who were born after the Fair Housing and Civil Rights laws were passed. They were born in an era where legal segregation was no longer constitutional. I don’t think that anyone could replace a Julian Bond with his experience and gift of oratory. Bond always seemed to handle situations with style and aplomb. His wit had no equal as he kept the Bush administration’s feet to the fire with regards to civil rights. And he showed no mercy when it came to the votes of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. Bond’s comments about Thomas’ anti-civil rights votes were equally as harsh. It doesn’t mean that the NAACP will lose its passion for civil rights. But I would expect it to implement new tactics for a new era of civil rights. As Bond passes from the national spotlight, the movement loses its living connection with the civil rights movement’s most productive era. Julian, you made a major impact on all of our lives. We thank you! |
| Reflections/Jonathan Gramling Bond ... Julian Bond |
Order your copies of OBAMA 2010 Calendar for $12.50 each! (A project of The Capital City Hues) Click HERE to print Order form |
ADVERTISE IN OUR NEXT ISSUE: March 11, 2010 |
| True Confessions Author Sandy Adell talks about gambling addiction |
 | |  | |  | |  |
