Julian Bond Joins Dream Defenders Protest

Civil rights activist Julian Bond will be making an appearance at the Dream Defenders protest at the Florida Capitol on Thursday, according to posts on the group's Facebook and Twitter pages made Wednesday.

Bond, who was the first president of the Southern Poverty Law Center, helped to establish the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee while he was a student at Morehouse College in Atlanta during the 1960s.He also served four terms in the Georgia House of Representatives and served six terms in the Georgia Senate.From 1998 to 2010, Bond served as chairman of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

According to the posts, Bond will be arriving Thursday to join the Dream Defenders for a "huge announcement," though it is unclear what the announcement will be about.

The protest reached the 30-day mark Wednesday, and has gathered the attention of legislators, civil rights activists and even celebrities who have offered support to the Dream Defenders while they call upon the Florida Legislature to hold a special session on the controversial Stand Your Ground law in Florida. Protesters have vowed to remain at the Capitol for as long as it takes to call a special session, which has already been rejected by Gov. Rick Scott.

An attempt to poll the Legislature to force a special session also failed, but it doesn't appear that the Dream Defenders will be giving up any time soon. Speaker of the House Will Weatherford said he would hold a hearing on the law in the fall.