Re: Barbara Jordan - Texas

[Guest guest]

Who was barabara jordon and why is/was she important?

Matt

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> Statue of congresswoman Barbara JOrdan at Austin Airport

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[Guest guest]

this is probably more than you to know... she is a hero to many...jkz  read the speech... it is cool! In 1976... and good for today, whether you are a democrat or republicanJordan was born in Houston's Fifth Ward to Rev. M. Jordan and Arlyne (Patten) Jordan.Barbara Jordan attended Wheatley High School, where one of the nation's few African-American female attorneys, Edith S. Sampson, spoke and inspired Jordan to become a lawyer.[1] This was a difficult ambition at the time, because only one law school in Texas admitted African-Americans.[1] With the support of her father, Jordan graduated magna cum laude from Texas Southern University in 1956 and from Boston University Law School in 1959.[1] She passed the bar exams in Massachusetts and Texas before returning to Houston to open a law practice, only the third African-American woman to be licensed in Texas.[1]Jordan campaigned for the Texas House of Representatives in 1962 and 1964.[1] Her persistence won her a seat in the Texas Senate in 1966, becoming the first African American state senator since 1883 and the first black woman to serve in that body.[1] Re-elected to a full term in the Texas Senate in 1968, she served until 1972. She was the first African-American female to serve as president pro tem of the state senate and served for one day as acting governor of Texas in 1972.In 1972, she was elected to the United States House of Representatives, becoming the first black woman from a Southern state to serve in the House. She received extensive support from former President Lyndon , who helped her secure a position on the House Judiciary Committee.In 1974, she made an influential, televised speech before the House Judiciary Committee supporting the impeachment of President Nixon. Jordan was mentioned as a possible running mate to Jimmy in 1976.[1] Her speech at the 1976 Democratic National Convention is considered by many historians to have been the best convention keynote speech in modern history and was ranked 5th in "Top 100 American Speeches of the 20th century" list. She was the first African-American woman to deliver the keynote address.[1]Jordan retired from politics in 1979 and became an adjunct professor at the University of Texas at Austin Lyndon B. School of Public Affairs. She again was a keynote speaker at the Democratic National Convention in 1992. In 1995, Jordan chaired a Congressional commission that advocated increased restriction of immigration and increased penalties on employers that violated U.S. immigration regulations.Her seat in Congress is currently held by African-American Democrat Sheila -Lee.Many of her speeches have been collected in a new volume from the University of Texas Press, Barbara Jordan: Speaking the Truth with Eloquent Thunder. Edited by Barbara Jordan's friend and colleague, Senator Max Sherman, the book also includes a DVD of many of her most famous speechesWho was barabara jordon and why is/was she important?Matt> > Statue of congresswoman Barbara JOrdan at Austin Airport> > >