The topic of race might be one of the most contentious issues for many Americans, and there have even been debates about America’s founding document, The Constitution. Those debates have often involved some Americans making the argument that they have not always seen themselves reflected in that constitution. It feels like a claim that even more Americans might have made some 50 years ago, and it was what I expected to hear after clicking on a “Barbara Jordan” speech from 1974. It begins with the following six words, “My faith in the Constitution is,” and before Jordan could get to the seventh word, my mind went to today’s debates and claims about The Constitution. However, that seventh word was “whole”, and continued with, “it is complete, it is total, and I am not going to sit here and be an idle spectator to the diminution, the subversion, the destruction of the Constitution. It is reason and not passion which must guide our deliberations, guide our debate, and guide our decision.”
Jordan was a woman of many firsts. She was the first Black American and first woman to deliver a keynote address at a party’s convention. That convention speech in 1974 was ranked as the 5th greatest American speech of the 20th century. The names ahead of Jordan were Martin Luther King Jr., John F. Kennedy, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and nobody else. Jordan was ranked ahead of many other U.S. Presidents. Another distinction shared between Jordan, King, Kennedy, and Roosvelt is that they were the only individuals to have two speeches in the top 15. Perhaps none had to trek the mountain that Jordan did to have their speeches end up among the greatest of the 20th century.
Some may find it hard to believe, but there could have been a scenario where Barrack Obama did not become the first Black President of the United States of America. And it would have nothing to do with first term then-Senator Obama losing to longtime Senator John McCain. Instead, it has to do with how Americans viewed the potential of Barbara Jordan. Everything from potentially becoming the first Black woman on the Supreme Court to becoming the first Black female Vice President, and even the first Black female President. So, who was Barbara Jordan and what path did she take that enabled her to stand so tall and in a league of her own?
Humble beginnings. From the deep south. Disregarded adjectives. Determined to earn stripes.
Barbara Jordan was born in 1936, in Houston Texas, to a Baptist preacher father and teacher mother, and the youngest of three children. Jordan’s career path was sealed after hearing a speech by Edith Sampson, a Black female lawyer and judge, and the first Black U.S. delegate appointed to the United Nations in 1950 – she wanted to be an attorney. Segregation prevented Jordan from enrolling into the University of Texas at Austin, she enrolled into a historically Black college, Texas Southern University. In university, Jordan would go on to become a national champion debater, defeating Yale and Brown, and tying Harvard University. After graduating from Texas Southern University, Jordan would go on to earn her law degree from Boston University. Then after earning her law degree, Jordan would spend a year teaching political science at Tuskegee Institute before returning to Houston to practice law in 1960.
Shortly after entering her 30s, Jordan was elected to the Texas Senate in 1966 and was one of the most active members when it came to tabling bills. Initially, most of the White politicians were resistant to her presence, but nobody could deny her talent. Then, in 1972, Jordan was elected to Congress and would sit on the House Judiciary Committee, responsible for overseeing the administration of justice within federal courts, federal administrative agencies, and federal law enforcement entities. In 1974, Jordan gave a speech that would go down as one of the top 100 speeches in the 20th century when she stated that she supported impeaching then President Richard Nixon. In 1976, there were talks to have Jordan be Jimmy Carter’s running mate and Vice President. Instead, Jordan became the first woman to deliver a keynote address at the Democratic National Committee. In 1979, only 13 years into her political career, and shortly after entering her 40s, she decided to retire.
After politics, Jordan would go on to teach at the University of Texas, and quickly became a favourite of the students. In 1990, she was inducted in the National Women’s Hall of Fame, and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1994.
Jordan passed away at the young age of 59 in 1996.
What most of the public was unaware of at the time was that Barbara Jordan retired from her political career because of health struggles after developing multiple sclerosis, and later having to fight leukemia, before passing away from complications from pneumonia. Jordan’s body would be interred in Texas State Cemetery, the first Black American to receive this honor, something she had advocated for when she served in the Texas State Senate.
Perhaps most surprising of all is that U.S. National Archives describes Jordan as the first LGBTQ woman in to serve in Congress. Had Jordan not been plagued with health struggles, when same sex couples became legally recognized in the 2000s, the perfect last “first” could have been stepping on that podium with Nancy Earl by her side, her earlier words even more applicable: “My faith in the Constitution is whole, it is complete, it is total, and I am not going to sit here and be an idle spectator to the diminution, the subversion, the destruction of the Constitution.” Then following that up with another remark she had made, “And I feel that notwithstanding the past, that my presence here is one additional bit of evidence that the American Dream need not forever be deferred.” If anyone deserved to see their words come to life, about the American Dream only temporarily being deferred, and living to see the promise of America fulfilled once more – it was Barbara Jordan.
Words and quotes worth remembering.
What may get overlooked with Barbara Jordan’s story is how her presence and speeches were significant in rebuilding the true brand of democracy, after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.. Jordan embodied the American Dream, a commitment to lifelong learning combined with a grit that is sometimes only found in children that grow up in low-income communities and an unwavering faith in the promise of America.
Words worth remembering are her convention speech in 1974 which begins, “A lot of years passed since 1832. And during that time, it would have been most unusual for any national political party to ask a Barbara Jordan to deliver a keynote address. But tonight, here I am. And I feel that notwithstanding the past, that my presence here is one additional bit of evidence that the American Dream need not forever be deferred.”
Later she touched on the idea of national growth, with, “We do not reject our traditions, but we are willing to adapt to changing circumstances when change we must. We are willing to suffer the discomfort of change in order to achieve a better future. We have a positive vision of the future founded on the belief that the gap between the promise and reality of America can one day be finally closed. We believe that.”
Much of Jordan’s speech addresses building block ideas like the idea that attempting to fulfill national purpose was a joint effort, and to create and sustain a society where everyone is equal. That, to achieve this, a restoration in self-belief must occur and there must be a willingness to share in the responsibility for upholding the common good. Noting that the American idea shared by everyone was realized in each and every person. Her speech ended with an Abraham Lincoln quote about treating others as one would like to be treated before Jordan explained that it summarized her idea of democracy.
Perhaps Jordan’s standalone quotes that are worth remembering and still relevant in today’s time might be:
“If the society today allows wrongs to go unchallenged, the impression is created that those wrongs have the approval of the majority.”
“Change is never easy, but always possible.”
“One thing is clear to me: we, as human beings, must be willing to accept people who are different from ourselves.”
“There is no obstacle in the path of young people who are poor or members of minority groups that hard work and preparation cannot cure.”
“Do not call for black power or green power. Call for brain power.”