Barbara Jordan BiographyUSA Flag

Occup.Politician
FromUSA
BornFebruary 21, 1936
DiedJanuary 17, 1996
Aged59 years
Barbara Jordan was a groundbreaking American politician, educator, and civil rights leader who was born on February 21, 1936, in Houston, Texas, and passed away on January 17, 1996. Jordan gained national recognition for her eloquent and powerful speeches, particularly her speech during the impeachment hearings of President Richard Nixon. Despite facing numerous hurdles, including racial and gender prejudice, Barbara Jordan became a symbol of perseverance and courage for many Americans, particularly African Americans and women.

Growing up in the segregated South, Barbara Jordan was raised in a religious, working-class African American family. She was the youngest of three daughters born to Benjamin and Arlyne Jordan. Her father was a Baptist minister and warehouse clerk, while her mother was an educator and skilled public speaker. Recognizing the importance of education, her parents inspired Jordan to pursue her studies and develop her natural talent for public speaking. This passion for learning led her to attend the all-black Texas Southern University, where she majored in political science and history. She later graduated magna cum laude in 1956.

After completing her undergraduate education, Jordan ventured to the northeast and earned a law degree from Boston University School of Law in 1959. Upon her return to Texas, she became one of the first African American women to practice law in the state. With a strong desire to enter public service, Jordan campaigned unsuccessfully for a Texas House of Representatives seat in both 1962 and 1964. However, her resilience eventually paid off when she was elected to the Texas State Senate in 1966, becoming the first African American woman to hold that position.

Jordan's tenure in the Texas State Senate was a period of substantial change in the state, as she played a key role in driving progressive policies covering civil rights, minimum wage, and workers' rights. In 1972, she was elected to the United States House of Representatives from Texas's 18th congressional district. As a member of Congress, Jordan's commitment to equal rights and social justice continued to guide her policy positions. She co-sponsored legislation that extended the Voting Rights Act, and she championed the renewal of the Civil Rights Act.

During the impeachment hearings of President Richard Nixon in 1974, Jordan's ability to captivate audiences with her poise, intellect, and moral conviction was evident. As a member of the House Judiciary Committee, she delivered a stirring speech in which she spoke of the importance of the U.S. Constitution and the need to defend it against the abuse of power. This moment solidified her place in American history.

Despite her successes, Barbara Jordan's career in national politics was ultimately limited by her battle with multiple sclerosis, which led her to retire from Congress in 1979. She went on to become a professor at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin, where she taught and continued to inspire new generations of young Americans.

In 1992, Jordan's remarkable life of public service was honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian award, bestowed by President Bill Clinton. Barbara Jordan was a trailblazer whose life and career broke barriers, leaving a lasting impact on American history and civil rights.

Our collection contains 34 quotes who is written / told by Barbara, under the main topic Equality.

Related authors: Lyndon B. Johnson (President)

34 Famous quotes by Barbara Jordan

Small: Barbara Jordan: I think it no accident that most of those emigrating to America in the 19th century identified
"I think it no accident that most of those emigrating to America in the 19th century identified with the Democratic Party. We are a heterogeneous party made up of Americans of diverse backgrounds"
Small: Barbara Jordan: Our concept of governing is derived from our view of people. It is a concept deeply rooted in
"Our concept of governing is derived from our view of people. It is a concept deeply rooted in a set of beliefs firmly etched in the national conscience, of all of us"
Small: Barbara Jordan: One thing is clear to me: We, as human beings, must be willing to accept people who are differ
"One thing is clear to me: We, as human beings, must be willing to accept people who are different from ourselves"
Small: Barbara Jordan: Even as I stand here and admit that we have made mistakes I still believe that as the people o
"Even as I stand here and admit that we have made mistakes I still believe that as the people of America sit in judgment on each party, they will recognize that our mistakes were mistakes of the heart. They'll recognize that"
Small: Barbara Jordan: I felt somehow for many years that George Washington and Alexander Hamilton just left me out b
"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 "We, the people.""
Small: Barbara Jordan: Throughout out history, when people have looked for new ways to solve their problems, and to u
"Throughout out history, when people have looked for new ways to solve their problems, and to uphold the principles of this nation, many times they have turned to political parties. They have often turned to the Democratic Party"
Small: Barbara Jordan: There is no obstacle in the path of young people who are poor or members of minority groups th
"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"
Small: Barbara Jordan: There is no executive order there is no law that can require the American people to form a nat
"There is no executive order; there is no law that can require the American people to form a national community. This we must do as individuals and if we do it as individuals, there is no President of the United States who can veto that decision"
Small: Barbara Jordan: The citizens of America expect more. They deserve and they want more than a recital of problem
"The citizens of America expect more. They deserve and they want more than a recital of problems"
Small: Barbara Jordan: Let there be no illusions about the difficulty of forming this kind of a national community. I
"Let there be no illusions about the difficulty of forming this kind of a national community. It's tough, difficult, not easy. But a spirit of harmony will survive in America only if each of us remembers that we share a common destiny"
Small: Barbara Jordan: We are a people trying not only to solve the problems of the present: unemployment, inflation.
"We are a people trying not only to solve the problems of the present: unemployment, inflation... but we are attempting on a larger scale to fulfill the promise of America"
Small: Barbara Jordan: More is required of public officials than slogans and handshakes and press releases. More is r
"More is required of public officials than slogans and handshakes and press releases. More is required. We must hold ourselves strictly accountable. We must provide the people with a vision of the future"
Small: Barbara Jordan: I believe that women have a capacity for understanding and compassion which man structurally d
"I believe that women have a capacity for understanding and compassion which man structurally does not have, does not have it because he cannot have it. He's just incapable of it"
Small: Barbara Jordan: The imperative is to define what is right and do it
"The imperative is to define what is right and do it"
Small: Barbara Jordan: I never intended to become a run-of-the-mill person
"I never intended to become a run-of-the-mill person"
Small: Barbara Jordan: For all of its uncertainty, we cannot flee the future
"For all of its uncertainty, we cannot flee the future"
Small: Barbara Jordan: A government is invigorated when each of us is willing to participate in shaping the future of
"A government is invigorated when each of us is willing to participate in shaping the future of this nation"
Small: Barbara Jordan: We must not become the new puritans and reject our society. We must address and master the fut
"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"
Small: Barbara Jordan: Let us heed the voice of the people and recognize their common sense. If we do not, we not onl
"Let us heed the voice of the people and recognize their common sense. If we do not, we not only blaspheme our political heritage, we ignore the common ties that bind all Americans"
Small: Barbara Jordan: But this is the great danger America faces. That we will cease to be one nation and become ins
"But this is the great danger America faces. That we will cease to be one nation and become instead a collection of interest groups: city against suburb, region against region, individual against individual. Each seeking to satisfy private wants"
Small: Barbara Jordan: What the people want is very simple - they want an America as good as its promise
"What the people want is very simple - they want an America as good as its promise"
Small: Barbara Jordan: Think what a better world it would be if we all, the whole world, had cookies and milk about t
"Think what a better world it would be if we all, the whole world, had cookies and milk about three o'clock every afternoon and then lay down on our blankets for a nap"
Small: Barbara Jordan: Let each person do his or her part. If one citizen is unwilling to participate, all of us are
"Let each person do his or her part. If one citizen is unwilling to participate, all of us are going to suffer. For the American idea, though it is shared by all of us, is realized in each one of us"
Small: Barbara Jordan: In other times, I could stand here and give this kind of exposition on the beliefs of the Demo
"In other times, I could stand here and give this kind of exposition on the beliefs of the Democratic Party and that would be enough. But today that is not enough. People want more"
Small: Barbara Jordan: If youre going to play the game properly, youd better know every rule
"If you're going to play the game properly, you'd better know every rule"
Small: Barbara Jordan: I have confidence that we can form this kind of national community
"I have confidence that we can form this kind of national community"
Small: Barbara Jordan: Education remains the key to both economic and political empowerment
"Education remains the key to both economic and political empowerment"
Small: Barbara Jordan: A nation is formed by the willingness of each of us to share in the responsibility for upholdi
"A nation is formed by the willingness of each of us to share in the responsibility for upholding the common good"
Small: Barbara Jordan: Do not call for black power or green power. Call for brain power
"Do not call for black power or green power. Call for brain power"
Small: Barbara Jordan: What we have to do is strike a balance between the idea that government should do everything a
"What we have to do is strike a balance between the idea that government should do everything and the idea, the belief, that government ought to do nothing. Strike a balance"
Small: Barbara Jordan: Life is too large to hang out a sign: For Men Only.
"Life is too large to hang out a sign: "For Men Only.""
Small: Barbara Jordan: Lets all understand that these guiding principles cannot be discarded for short-term political
"Let's all understand that these guiding principles cannot be discarded for short-term political gains. They represent what this country is all about. They are indigenous to the American idea. And these are principles which are not negotiable"
Small: Barbara Jordan: It is reason, and not passion, which must guide our deliberations, guide our debate, and guide
"It is reason, and not passion, which must guide our deliberations, guide our debate, and guide our decision"
Small: Barbara Jordan: If we promise as public officials, we must deliver. If we as public officials propose, we must
"If we promise as public officials, we must deliver. If we as public officials propose, we must produce"