Voice of Change: Barbara Jordan

Welcome to Civics and Coffee. My name is Alycia and I am a self-professed history nerd. Each week, I am going to chat about a topic on U.S history and give you both the highlights and occasionally break down some of the complexities in history; and share stories you may not remember learning in high school. All in the time it takes to enjoy a cup of coffee. 

INTRO MUSIC

Hey everyone, welcome back. 

On July 24, 1974, dressed in a bright pink suit and black framed glasses, Texas House member Barbara Jordan gave a powerful, stoic speech outlining her reasons for supporting the impeachment of President Richard Nixon. Her remarks lasted less than 15 minutes, but their impact reverberated within the walls of the hearing room and are still remembered some fifty years after. 

But who exactly was Barbara Jordan? 

For this week’s bonus episode, I am diving into the life and career of Barbara Jordan. Who was she? How did she get into politics? And what made her speech so memorable? 

Grab your cup of coffee, peeps. Let’s do this. 

Barbara Charline Jordan entered the world on February 21, 1936, in Houston, Texas. Jordan was the third and final child born to mother Arlyne and father Benjamin. Her father worked as a Pastor at the Good Hope Missionary Baptist Church and a warehouse clerk, while her mother taught at the church. Her parents valued education and pushed Barbara to do well, apparently criticizing her if she brought home anything with all A’s on her report card. 

Jordan decided at a young age to become a lawyer. While attending Phyllis Wheatley Highschool a black attorney, Edith Sampson, came to give a talk during the school’s career day. Jordan later said it was Sampson's speech that convinced her to try her hand at the law. She completed her undergraduate education at the Historically Black College Texas Southern University where she participated in and led the debate team to victory against Harvard University. Her parents' constant push for excellence paid off as Jordan graduated magna cum laude in 1956 before moving to Massachusetts to enroll in Boston University’s law program, where she was the only woman in her class. After graduating in 1959, Jordan originally thought she’d stay in Massachusetts to practice, but she ultimately decided to return to Texas. 

A junior attorney in a large state, Jordan operated her firm at her kitchen table while working as an administrative assistant for a county judge to help pay her bills. She initially entered into politics as a volunteer, working for the John F. Kennedy campaign in 1960 to help increase voter registration. Jordan originally sought a seat in the Texas House of Representatives in 1962 and 1964, losing both times. In 1966, Jordan ran one more campaign - this time for a seat in the Texas Senate, where she finally secured victory. With her election, Jordan became the first woman to serve in office and was the first black state senator since the Reconstruction era in 1883. 

While serving in the Texas senate, Jordan worked toward establishing a minimum wage law to cover employees who were not included in the federal minimum wage laws and bills aimed at welfare reform. She was quite busy while in office, sponsoring or co-sponsoring 70 bills. She earned the respect of her colleagues by mastering, and effectively utilizing the chamber’s parliamentary rules. Jordan eventually became the President Pro Tem which meant she became the acting Governor whenever both the Governor and Lt. Governor were out of the state. 

In 1972, Jordan made a run for Congress, where she hoped to become a member of the House of Representatives. The 1970 census led to redistricting in the state where Jordan helped develop a majority black district in Houston. Vying to represent the state’s 18th district, Jordan won handily as she not only had the support of the members of the community but also business leaders and the party establishment who were impressed with her work thus far. She was one of only two African Americans elected to the House in 1972, joining Andrew Young from Georgia. 

Former president Lyndon Johnson ensured Jordan got a seat on the highly coveted House Judiciary Committee by placing a call to House Speaker Carl Albert. Johnson may have been repaying a kindness to Jordan, who during the 1968 Democratic National Convention remained vocal and firm in her state’s support of the party’s position on the war in Vietnam. I talked about this at length on the last episode about the convention, so be sure to check it out if you need a refresher. 

The timing of Jordan’s post on the judiciary committee proved fortuitous. In 1974, President Richard Nixon was under fire for his role in the break-in of the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate office complex. In May, the House began impeachment proceedings against the president and on July 24th, Jordan sat in the committee chamber, prepared to deliver her reasoning for voting for impeachment. In her opening remarks, Jordan said quote: “Earlier today, we heard the beginning of the Preamble to the Constitution of the United States: "We, the people." It's a very eloquent beginning. But when that document was completed on the seventeenth of September in 1787, I was not included in that "We, the people." I felt somehow for many years that George Washington and Alexander Hamilton just left me out by mistake. But through the process of amendment, interpretation, and court decision, I have finally been included in the "We, the people,” end quote. If you haven’t listened to her speech before, I highly recommend checking it out on YouTube. 

Jordan continued speaking for several more minutes, articulating her case for the people like the gifted attorney she was. She was purposeful with her words, no doubt understanding the weight of the moment and what it meant for the future of Nixon’s presidency. Her speech was captivating and very influential with fellow House members and the public and on July 30th, the House voted in favor of impeaching Richard Nixon. I also covered the Watergate Scandal on the podcast a few years back. I will include the link to that episode in the show notes if you want to learn more. 

In 1976, Jordan became the first Black American and first woman to be named a keynote speaker for the Democratic National Convention, where she gave one of two keynote speeches. In her speech, Jordan spoke about the need for the country to build a quote-unquote national community. The 1970s were a cynical time for many Americans and Jordan used her speech as an opportunity to build consensus, saying partially quote: “Are we to be one people bound together by common spirit, sharing in a common endeavor; or will we become a divided nation? For all of its uncertainty, we cannot flee the future. We must not become the “New Puritans” and reject our society. We must address and master the future together. It can be done if we restore the belief that we share a sense of national community, that we share a common national endeavor. It can be done,” end quote.  

Despite her barrier-breaking career as both a woman and a person of color, Jordan refused to let people define her in such a limited fashion, saying once quote “I’m neither a black politician nor a woman politician. Just a politician,” end quote. A rising star in the Democratic party, Jordan surprised many when she announced in 1977 that she would not run for re-election, citing personal reasons. Jordan had been diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, which is an autoimmune disease that mistakenly attacks the central nervous system, causing symptoms like vision loss, fatigue, and muscle weakness. While Jordan did not mention her diagnosis in announcing her decision to retire, she had already been in declining health and likely decided that the grueling travel and work schedule as a member of Congress was too much for her body to handle. 

After her retirement, Jordan went on to teach at the University of Texas at Austin as the Lyndon Johnson Chair in National Policy. Despite her desire to retire from politics, Jordan was considered as a potential running mate for Jimmy Carter’s 1976 campaign, as well as a member of Carter’s cabinet as the Attorney General of the United States. Jordan also reportedly turned down an offer to be an ambassador to the United Nations. Rumors also swirled that Jordan may be appointed to the Supreme Court, or run for office to become the Governor of Texas. None of these came to fruition and Jordan remained in her teaching position until she passed away. For being a politician, Barbara Jordan was an immensely private person. Entering into politics in an era before the twenty-four news cycle, Jordan shared very little about her private life. Thus, it remains unknown exactly why she chose to decline further service, although I suspect her health issues figured heavily in her decision. 

Jordan spoke twice more at the DNC, once in 1988 and again in 1992. By 1992, Jordan required the assistance of a wheelchair to move around and gave her speech from her chair. Using the theme of change throughout her remarks, Jordan remained hopeful about the future. She asked those in the audience to do the same, even invoking former president Franklin Roosevelt when she used the words from his inaugural address in 1933. In 1994, President Clinton awarded Jordan with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the country. 

Barbara Jordan passed away from pneumonia as a result of complications from leukemia on January 17, 1996, at just 59 years old. Jordan is believed to be the first LGBTQ member of Congress, given her long-term relationship with educational psychologist Nancy Earl who traveled with Jordan frequently and with whom she shared a home in Austin. As I mentioned before, Jordan was intensely guarded about her private life and therefore never commented on her sexuality publicly. Jordan lived and served during a period where public homophobia was tolerated and considering how much she wanted to be known as just a politician, it is understandable that she chose to stay quiet on yet another aspect of her life that would make her a barrier breaker. 

Because reading quotes from her speech really fails to do it justice, I am going to end this week’s episode with a brief excerpt of Jordan’s comments during the Nixon impeachment inquiry. I think the power of her words will resonate in a way my description couldn’t. Enjoy, peeps. I’ll see you Saturday. 

AUDIO CLIP - BARBARA JORDAN

Thanks for tuning and I hope you enjoyed this episode of Civics & Coffee. If you want to hear more small snippets from american history, be sure to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for listening and I look forward to our next cup of coffee together. 

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