Civil rights activist and former Georgia state Sen. Julian Bond will deliver remarks at the 19th Annual Barbara Jordan Forum at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at The University of Texas at Austin, highlighting contemporary civil rights issues facing America today.
Bond’s life work offers numerous lessons on bringing about and leading social change for generations to come. His experience leading college students in the 1960s in engaged activism and nonviolent protests during a period of unrest remains relevant today as the nation faces new challenges.
WHEN: Wednesday, Feb. 4, noon to 1:30 p.m.
WHERE: Lady Bird Johnson Auditorium, the LBJ School of Public Affairs, 2315 Red River St. Austin, Texas 78712
WHO MAY ATTEND: The event is open to the public; admission is free, but a ticket is required. Visit Julianbond.eventbrite.com to register.
University of Texas at Austin students, faculty members and staffers do not have to register for this event and may pick up tickets at the Student Activities Center (SAC) ticketing office.
BACKGROUND: This spring, the LBJ School is initiating a series of events designed to inform issues at the heart of public debate by showcasing a diversity of voices including practitioners and academics.
In hosting Julian Bond as the 2015 Barbara Jordan Forum keynoter, the school will kick off the series with one of the most formidable figures in modern history. Beginning as a college student with a powerful message of equality, freedom and justice, Julian Bond has spent five decades as a key voice in fulfilling the principles of American democracy, establishing himself as a renowned professor, statesman and activist. Founder of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and the first African American to be nominated for vice president of the United States, he continues to propel the message for civil rights into the future.
The Barbara Jordan Forum, in its 19th year, is designed to highlight Jordan’s lifetime of significant contributions to society as a politician, policymaker, activist and educator. Jordan joined the LBJ School of Public Affairs in 1979 as a faculty member and remained a beloved teacher and mentor until her death in 1996. That same year, students created the forum in her honor.
MEDIA ATTENDANCE/INQUIRIES/EVENT INFORMATION: News media are welcome to attend and cover the event. Please contact Holli Nelson, LBJ School of Public Affairs, 512-232-4054 or holli.nelson@austin.utexas.edu to make arrangements for coverage of the lecture and/or interest in attending a post-event presser with Mr. Bond, immediately following the event.
