Explorations in Black Leadership

Co-Directed by Phyllis Leffler & Julian Bond

Race-conscious Concerns

LEFFLER: Do you think that there are issues for black Americans that are unique to the black community, that you would define as different than national issues? You said you were a race man and that you see those issues as good for all America. But do -- but take it a different way. Are there issues that are unique to black Americans today?

BOND: There are, and while you were asking the question I was trying to say "Yes, this is… this is… this is…" and nothing comes to mind right away. I think there are things that are unique to black Americans that aren't bad for non-black Americans. I mean they're not -- but there are peculiarities of issues. I think the same is true of Hispanics and other groups and Catholics and everybody else that every group has some set of issues that are theirs. That somehow or another doesn't touch the larger world in the same way. And what they are, I can't articulate right now, but I think there are such issues, there are these issue differences that make this group distinct and this group distinct and that group distinct.