Kelin, Norman, and Sabra-Anne Kelin. Jordan continued her political career and began heavily campaigning for Democratic presidential candidate James Earl (Jimmy) Carter. He and his wife have been married for more than 30 years and have four children together. In her speech, she stated her reasons for supporting President Nixons impeachment and her faith in the Constitution. Jordan was also a proponent of the Equal Rights Amendment and issued a statement in support of extending the deadline in 1979. Barbara Jordan was born in Houston Texas's Fifth Ward. In news reports across the country, her 15-minute statement at the Watergate hearings was part of the lede of her obituary.. Barbara Bush is the daughter of former U.S. President George W. Bush and the twin sister of author and media personality Jenna Bush Hager. It was as a freshman Member of the Judiciary Committee, however, that Jordan earned national recognition. Barbara Jordan died on January 17, 1996; she was just 59 years old. Famed television journalist Barbara Walters was best known as the 11-year star of the 'Today' show, and for being the first female co-anchor of a network evening news program. In 1962 and 1964 she was an unsuccessful candidate for the Texas House of Representatives, but she was elected in 1966 to the Texas Senate, the first African American member since 1883 and the first woman ever elected to that legislative body. However, she lost again so in 1966 she decided to run for the Texas Senate instead. [13], From 1994 until her death, Jordan chaired the U.S. Commission on Immigration Reform. National Women's History Museum. "Barbara Jordan's Speeches, 1974-1995: Ethics, Public Religion and Jurisprudence." Barbara Charline Jordan was born in Houston, Texas, on February 21, 1936, one of three daughters of Benjamin M. Jordan and Arlyne Patten Jordan. Jordan stood as a moral compass during this time of crisis, calling for the impeachment of President Richard M. Nixon for his involvement in this illegal political enterprise. Jordan won, defeating a white liberal and becoming the first African-American state senator in the U.S. since 1883 as well as the first Black woman ever elected to that chamber.2 The other 30 (male, white) senators received her coolly, but Jordan quickly earned a reputation as an effective legislator who pushed through bills establishing the states first minimum wage law, anti-discrimination clauses in business contracts, and the Texas Fair Employment Practices Commission. Some thought that she might have gone farther in her political career, but it was later revealed that Jordan had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis around this time. [37], She was interred in Texas State Cemetery. An oral history interview of Barbara Jordan conducted by Roland C. Hayes on March 28, 1984. Jordan was the youngest of three daughters in a close-knit family. [2] Jordan's childhood was centered on church life. Seen here in mid-speech, standing at a podium in doctoral regalia. Jordans talent as a speaker continued to contribute to her national profile. National Women's History Museum. She was perhaps best known for as one of Americas greatest orators. Family, friend, or fan, this family history biography is for you to remember Barbara Jordan. Benjamin Jordan, a graduate of Tuskegee Institute, worked in a local warehouse before becoming pastor of Good Hope Missionary Baptist Church, which his family had long attended. Date accessed. The Jordan family's pride in Barbara's acceptance made the financial sacrifice of sending her north a little easier. [17], Jordan supported the Community Reinvestment Act of 1977, legislation that required banks to lend and make services available to underserved poor and minority communities. 2 min read. Here's what. The disease eventually caused her to be confined to a wheelchair, and she retired from politics in 1979 and became a professor at the University of Texas at Austins Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs. Jordan had reportedly hoped to secure the position of U.S. attorney general within Jimmy Carter's administration after he won the election, but Carter gave the post to someone else. In the House, Jordan advocated legislation to improve the lives of minorities, the poor, and the disenfranchised and sponsored bills that expanded workers compensation and strengthened the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to cover Mexican Americans in the Southwest. She was elected president of the Texas Senate on March 28, 1972, making her the first black woman in America to oversee a legislative body. Come by to check out the apartment floorplan options. Jordan also believed that an important committee assignment, one where she would be a trailblazer because of her gender and race, would magnify her influence. She was inducted into the Texas Women's Hall of Fame in 1984. Barbara Charline Jordan was born on February 21, 1936 in Houston, Texas. If you see something that doesn't look right, contact us! [17] She presented an opening speech during the hearings that were part of the impeachment process against Richard Nixon. [50], The Barbara Jordan Media Awards are given annually to media professionals and students who "have produced material for the public which accurately and positively reports on individuals with disabilities, using People First language and respectful depictions". As a member of the board, she played a pivotal role in the decision to completely make over the. Barbara Louise Moore Jordan, age 85, passed away peacefully at her Mobile, Alabama home on Wednesday, February 2, 2022. 4700 Country Creek Dallas, TX 75236. We are a people in search of a national community, she told the delegates, attempting to fulfill our national purpose, to create and sustain a society in which all of us are equal. In 1999, the Foundation created the Barbara Jordan Health Policy Scholars Program in order to honor her and expand the potential pool of young leaders of color interested in the field of health policy and public service, a purpose we are sure Barbara would have applauded. Academically brilliant, she attained her formal education from Roberson Elementary School after which she attended the Phillis Wheatley High School. Barbara Jordan (1936-1996) was a Civil Rights leader and was the first African-American woman elected to the Texas Senate, in 1966. Jordan blunted Gravess charges with her legislative credentials. [1] In 1940, her family was living in a house owned by her paternal grandfather, Charles Jordan, at 4505 Sharon Street in Houston, Texas. As High School Student She Became A Skiled Public Speaker , Winning National Debate Contest In 1952 . Testimony before the House Judiciary Committee, July 25, 1974. Appearing after a subdued speech by Ohio Senator John Herschel Glenn Jr., Jordan energized the convention with her oratory. She continued debating in college, at Texas Southern University in Houston. Barbara Jordan. Accessed November 5, 2019. https://www.archivesfoundation.org/amendingamerica/barbara-jordan/. on Nixon, 18 January 1996, Washington Post: A1. The commission recommended that total immigration be cut by one-third to approximately 550,000 per year. Filling the need for trusted information on national health issues. Washington Offices and Barbara Jordan Conference Center: 1330 G Street, NW, Washington, DC 20005 | Phone 202-347-5270, www.kff.org | Email Alerts: kff.org/email | facebook.com/KaiserFamilyFoundation | twitter.com/kff. The daughter of a Baptist minister,. [citation needed], In 2000, the Jordan/Rustin Coalition (JRC) was created,[45] honoring Jordan and Bayard Rustin, a leader in the civil rights movement and close confidante of Martin Luther King Jr. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Vol. 1 hits with "Sleeping Single in a Double Bed" and "Years.". Thank you for your interest in the Barbara Jordan Freedom Foundation and our commitment to fighting injustice. The mission of Barbara Jordan Early College Prep School is to educate every child, every day as we close the achievement gap. Barbara Jordan (1936-1996) was a lawyer, politician, and university professor from Houston, Texas. In both her Texas legislative career and in the U.S. House, Jordan made the conscious decision to pursue power within the established system. While in Washington, D.C. as a congresswoman, Jordan served on various committees. [19] She simply stated facts that proved Nixon to be untrustworthy and heavily involved in illegal situations,[19] and quoted the drafters of the Constitution to argue that actions like Nixon's during the scandal corresponded with their understanding of impeachable offenses. [1], On July 25, 1974, Jordan delivered a 15-minute televised speech in front of the members of the U.S. House Judiciary Committee. Also, she was the first African American state senator in United States since 1883. Kirk, Rita G. "Barbara Jordan: The Rise of a Black Woman Politician." January 1979, Washington Post Magazine: 611; Jordan, Barbara Current United States House of Representatives: History, Art, & Archives, Origins & Development: From the Constitution to the Modern House, Joint Meetings, Joint Sessions, & Inaugurations, Presidents, Vice Presidents, & Coinciding Sessions of Congress, Individuals Who Have Lain in State or Honor, Foreign Leaders and Dignitaries Who Have Addressed the U.S. Congress, Calendars of the House of Representatives, Search Historical Highlights of the House, Chief Administrative Officers of the House, John W. McCormack Annual Award of Excellence to Congressional Employees, House Members Who Became U.S. Supreme Court Justices, House Members Who Received Electoral College Votes, Asian and Pacific Islander Americans in Congress, Jeannette Rankins Historic Election: A Century of Women in Congress, Joseph H. Rainey: 150 Years of Black Americans Elected to Congress, Campaign Collectibles: Running for Congress, Electronic Technology in the House of Representatives, Portraits in the House of Representatives, On Display: Exhibitions from the House Collection, The Peoples House: A Guide to Its History, Spaces, and Traditions, An Annual Outing: The Congressional Baseball Game, Florence Kahn: Congressional Widow to Trailblazing Lawmaker, Mace of the U.S. House of Represen- tatives, The Long Struggle for Representation: Oral Histories of African Americans in Congress, National History Day 2023: Frontiers in History, Time for a Tour: Visiting the Peoples House, Researching the House: Other Primary Sources, https://history.house.gov/People/Listing/J/JORDAN,-Barbara-Charline-(J000266)/. New York: Franklin Watts, 1998. diss., University of Illinois at Chicago, 2004. Barbara Jordan Funeral | C-SPAN.org January 20, 1996 Barbara Jordan Funeral President bill Clinton, state and federal officials, family members, friends and others gathered to honor and. She eventually helped manage a highly organized get-out-the-vote program that served Houstons 40 African-American precincts. She loved being around family. [44][bettersourceneeded], The main terminal at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport is named after Jordan. Clines, Francis X. She reveled in its never-ending struggle to live up to our highest ideals. New York: Dial Press, 1977. Abrams is now one of the most prominent African American female politicians in the United States. Edited by Max Sherman. Jordan, Barbara. with President Johnson, see Barbara Jordan Oral History, Interview 1, 28 March She was the first African-American to be elected to the Texas Senate after Reconstruction, the first southern black female to be elected to the United States House of Representatives, and the first African-American woman to deliver the keynote address at a Democratic National Convention. I never intended to become a run-of-the-mill person. Opens in a new window. Gregory was born circa 1831, in Stoke Climsland, Cornwall, England. In the next two campaign cycles, Jordan overwhelmed her opposition, capturing 85 percent of the total vote in both general elections.5 [28] Jordan's partner of approximately twenty years was Nancy Earl,[29] an educational psychologist who met Jordan on a camping trip in the late 1960s. "I am not going to sit here and be an idle spectator to the diminution, the subversion, the destruction of the Constitution," she said in a nationally televised speech during the proceedings. She attended a segregated public school system and subsequently graduated from Arthur and Polly . As Jordan's health depreciated from multiple sclerosis and leukemia, later on, Earl was her main caregiver. Houston: D. Armstrong, 1977. Jordan Peele is an actor, director and writer known for his work on Comedy Central's 'Key & Peele' and his blockbuster hit horror film 'Get Out.'. diss., Northwestern University, 1998. Rogers, Mary Beth. Jordan, Barbara. Accessed November 5, 2019. https://www.womenofthehall.org/inductee/barbara-jordan/. On March 28, 1972, Jordans peers elected her president pro tempore of the Texas senate, making her the first Black woman in America to preside over a legislative body. Southern Speech Communication Journal 44 (Spring 1979): 223-32. No landmark legislation bears her name. Milwaukee: Franklin, 1974. ", "WFAA Academy: Houston's Barbara Jordan became the first black woman elected into the Texas State Senate", "Our Campaigns US President D Convention Race Jul 12, 1976", 1977 National Women's Conference: A Question of Choices, "Mr. Newman's Digital Rhetorical Symposium: Barbara Jordan: Statement on the Articles of Impeachment, "Statement on the Articles of Impeachment", "A statement by Representative Barbara Jordan on May 18, 1978, requesting an extension of the 1979 deadline for ERA ratification", "Dems Weren't Always Pro-immigration Just Ask The Jordan Commission", "Trump's Misuse of Barbara Jordan's Legacy on Immigration The Center for Migration Studies of New York (CMS)", "Clinton Embraces a Proposal To Cut Immigration by a Third", "Why does a NumbersUSA ad include a clip from 1995? Wilson Company, 1993): 290291. Though Carter later interviewed Jordan for a Cabinet position, he did not offer her the position of U.S. Attorney General, the one post she said she would accept. Instead, Jordan became a professor at the University of Texas in Austin as the Lyndon Johnson Chair in National Policy. She then accepted a position at the University of Texas, Austin, where she taught at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs until her death. She passed away two years later, on January 17, 1996, in Austin, Texas. also had leukemia. He also honored her with the Presidential Medal of Freedom that same year. Her mother was Arlyne Patten Jordan, a teacher in the church, [1] [6] and her father was Benjamin Jordan, a Baptist preacher. Growing up in an era of segregation, Barbara could only attend . A Democrat, she was the first African American elected to the Texas Senate after Reconstruction and the first Southern African-American woman elected to the United States House of Representatives. A Private Woman in Public Spaces: Barbara Jordan's Speeches on Ethics, Public Religion, and Law. Her mother was Arlyne Patten Jordan, a teacher in the church,[1][6] and her father was Benjamin Jordan, a Baptist preacher. Chicago - Alexander, Kerri Lee. Barbara Charline Jordan was born in Houston, Texas's Fifth Ward. As one of the first African Americans elected from the Deep South since 1898 and the first Black Congresswoman ever from that region, Jordan lent added weight to her message by her very presence on the House Judiciary Committee. The Life Summary of Barbara. Contact us or stop by today. Barbara Jordan: American hero. Barbara Jordan. Jordan grew up in a religious and supportive family where she was encouraged to pursue her dreams. [42][43], Jordan's 1976 Democratic National Convention keynote address, the first major convention keynote speech ever by a woman and the first by an African American, was listed as #5 in American Rhetoric's Top 100 Speeches of the 20th Century (listed by rank). Upon graduation, she went to Texas Southern University and earned her bachelors degree in 1956. The firm also offers advice on Professional Negligence and other disputes relating to land and family arguments which may arise on death. diss., Vanderbilt University, 1998. [19] This powerful and influential statement earned Jordan national praise for her rhetoric, morals, and wisdom. Her gift for language and building arguments was apparent in high school, where she was an award-winning debater and orator. She received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, among numerous other honors. The family would like to thank the doctors and nurses for the good care Barbara received. Benjamin Jordan, a graduate of Tuskegee Institute, worked in a local warehouse before becoming pastor of Good Hope Missionary Baptist Church, which his family had long attended. Phone: 512-476-4716 Fax: 512-322-2010 Barbara Jordan: The Great Lady From Texas. She was the youngest of three daughters. Thus, she disregarded suggestions that she accept a seat on the Education and Labor Committee and used her connection with Texan Lyndon B. Johnsonshe had been his guest at the White House during her time as a state legislatorto secure a plum committee assignment on the Judiciary Committee. Barbara is related to Cynthia W Jordan and Derik R Jordan as well as 3 additional people. Single Family Dwelling Unit; Length of Residence: 15+ years; Median Home Value: $1,596,000; Median Household Income: $445,000; Vehicle: 2004 . Speaking the Truth With Eloquent Thunder. A groundbreaking African American politician, Barbara Jordan worked hard to achieve her dreams. After participating in the Kennedy-Johnson presidential campaign of 1960, she decided to run for the Texas Legislature and won a seat in the state senate in 1966. While the world watched during the Impeachment hearings of President Richard Nixon, Barbara Jordan boldly took center stage. 5Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives, Election Statistics, 1920 to Present.. [2] Jordan is known for her eloquent opening statement[3] at the House Judiciary Committee hearings during the impeachment process against Richard Nixon. Brookfield, CT: Twenty-First Century Books, 2000. Black is beautiful.3 One of Jordans responsibilities as president pro tempore was to serve as acting governor when the governor and lieutenant governor were out of the state. Alternate titles: Barbara Charline Jordan. Barbara Jordan Elementary School Overview Barbara Jordan Early College Prep helps students achieve their full potential with a rich and inspiring educational program inspired by the leadership qualities of its namesake. [49], In 2012, Jordan was inducted into the Legacy Walk, an outdoor public display which celebrates LGBT history and people. It is the 34th stamp in the Black Heritage series of U.S. 2. One person even posted a message on a series of billboards in Houston: Thank you, Barbara Jordan, for explaining the Constitution to us.11 The Watergate impeachment hearings helped create Jordans reputation as a respected national politician. Aretha Louise Franklin was born on March 25, 1942, to Barbara (ne Siggers) and Clarence LaVaughn "C. L." Franklin.She was delivered at her family's home located at 406 Lucy Avenue, Memphis, Tennessee.Her father was a Baptist minister and circuit preacher originally from Shelby, Mississippi, while her mother was an accomplished piano player and vocalist. For Barbara, it was an eye-opening opportunity. Famed Texas Senator Barbara Jordan has been honored with a memorial stretch of highway near Texas State University. I am neither a black politician nor a woman politician, Jordan said in 1975. Barbara married Gregory Manuel Jordan on month day 1873, at age 29 at marriage place.