Posted Nov. 19, 2008 – Julian Bond, 68, has said he is stepping down as chairman of the NAACP once his term ends in February.

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After 10 years of volunteer service as the NAACP national board chairman, Bond indicated he would not seek re-election.

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,” Bond said in a statement. “The NAACP and the country are in good hands.

In a letter to board members, Bond wrote that he will remain on the board, and will seek re-election once his board term ends, but he won’t seek re-election as chairman.

I'm not resigning, I'm just not running for re-election," said the venerable civil rights leader and former Georgia state representative. "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.

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 honor, whose recipients in past years include Jackie Robinson, Bill Clinton, Oprah Winfrey and Rosa Parks. 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. The holder of 25 honorary degrees, Bond is a Distinguished Professor at American University in Washington, D.C., and a professor in history at the University of Virginia.

We appreciate Chairman Bond's commitment and look forward to his continued active involvement on the board," said NAACP President Benjamin Todd Jealous.