Barbara Jordan Biography

Occup.Politician
FromUSA
BornFebruary 21, 1936
DiedJanuary 17, 1996
Aged59 years
Barbara Jordan was an innovative American political leader, educator, and also civil rights leader who was born on February 21, 1936, in Houston, Texas, and died on January 17, 1996. Jordan gained national recognition for her eloquent and powerful speeches, especially her speech throughout the impeachment hearings of President Richard Nixon. In spite of facing many difficulties, consisting of racial and gender prejudice, Barbara Jordan came to be a symbol of willpower as well as guts for numerous Americans, particularly African Americans and women.

Growing up in the segregated South, Barbara Jordan was raised in a spiritual, working-class African American household. She was the youngest of three daughters born to Benjamin and also Arlyne Jordan. Her daddy was a Baptist minister as well as storage facility staff, while her mommy was an instructor and also skilled speaker. Acknowledging the significance of education, her parents inspired Jordan to seek her research studies and also establish her natural ability for public speaking. This enthusiasm for finding out led her to go to the all-black Texas Southern University, where she learnt political science and history. She later on finished magna cum laude in 1956.

After finishing her undergraduate education, Jordan ventured to the northeast and earned a law level from Boston University Institution of Law in 1959. Upon her go back to Texas, she became one of the initial African American ladies to practice law in the state. With a solid wish to get in civil service, Jordan campaigned unsuccessfully for a Texas Legislature seat in both 1962 and also 1964. Nonetheless, her durability ultimately paid off when she was elected to the Texas State Senate in 1966, becoming the initial African American female to hold that setting.

Jordan's tenure in the Texas State Us senate was a period of significant adjustment in the state, as she played a vital role in driving progressive policies covering civil liberties, minimum wage, and also employees' civil liberties. In 1972, she was chosen to the United States Legislature from Texas's 18th legislative area. As a member of Congress, Jordan's commitment to equal legal rights and also social justice continued to guide her plan placements. She co-sponsored regulations that prolonged the Voting Rights Act, and she championed the renewal of the Civil liberty Act.

During the impeachment hearings of President Richard Nixon in 1974, Jordan's capacity to mesmerize target markets with her grace, intellect, and ethical conviction appeared. As a member of your home Judiciary Board, she supplied a stirring speech in which she mentioned the value of the united state Constitution and the requirement to protect it versus the abuse of power. This minute strengthened her area in American history.

Regardless of her successes, Barbara Jordan's job in nationwide politics was eventually restricted by her fight with multiple sclerosis, which led her to relinquish Congress in 1979. She took place to come to be a professor at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the College of Texas at Austin, where she instructed and remained to inspire brand-new generations of young Americans.

In 1992, Jordan's amazing life of civil service was bestowed the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest noncombatant honor, presented by President Costs Clinton. Barbara Jordan was a trendsetter whose life as well as job broke obstacles, leaving an enduring influence on American background and also civil rights.

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

Related authors: Lyndon B. Johnson (President), Lawrence Taylor (Athlete)

34 Famous quotes by Barbara Jordan

Small: 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: 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: I think it no accident that most of those emigrating to America in the 19th century identified with the
"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: Our concept of governing is derived from our view of people. It is a concept deeply rooted in a set of
"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: One thing is clear to me: We, as human beings, must be willing to accept people who are different from
"One thing is clear to me: We, as human beings, must be willing to accept people who are different from ourselves"
Small: Even as I stand here and admit that we have made mistakes I still believe that as the people of America
"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: I felt somehow for many years that George Washington and Alexander Hamilton just left me out by mistake
"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: Throughout out history, when people have looked for new ways to solve their problems, and to uphold the
"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: There is no obstacle in the path of young people who are poor or members of minority groups that hard w
"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: There is no executive order there is no law that can require the American people to form a national com
"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: The citizens of America expect more. They deserve and they want more than a recital of problems
"The citizens of America expect more. They deserve and they want more than a recital of problems"
Small: Let there be no illusions about the difficulty of forming this kind of a national community. Its tough,
"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: 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: More is required of public officials than slogans and handshakes and press releases. More is required.
"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: I believe that women have a capacity for understanding and compassion which man structurally does not h
"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: The imperative is to define what is right and do it
"The imperative is to define what is right and do it"
Small: I never intended to become a run-of-the-mill person
"I never intended to become a run-of-the-mill person"
Small: For all of its uncertainty, we cannot flee the future
"For all of its uncertainty, we cannot flee the future"
Small: A government is invigorated when each of us is willing to participate in shaping the future of this nat
"A government is invigorated when each of us is willing to participate in shaping the future of this nation"
Small: What we have to do is strike a balance between the idea that government should do everything and the id
"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: 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: Lets all understand that these guiding principles cannot be discarded for short-term political gains. T
"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: It is reason, and not passion, which must guide our deliberations, guide our debate, and guide our deci
"It is reason, and not passion, which must guide our deliberations, guide our debate, and guide our decision"
Small: If we promise as public officials, we must deliver. If we as public officials propose, we must produce
"If we promise as public officials, we must deliver. If we as public officials propose, we must produce"
Small: 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: Education remains the key to both economic and political empowerment
"Education remains the key to both economic and political empowerment"
Small: A nation is formed by the willingness of each of us to share in the responsibility for upholding the co
"A nation is formed by the willingness of each of us to share in the responsibility for upholding the common good"
Small: We must not become the new puritans and reject our society. We must address and master the future toget
"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: Let us heed the voice of the people and recognize their common sense. If we do not, we not only blasphe
"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: But this is the great danger America faces. That we will cease to be one nation and become instead a co
"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: 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: Think what a better world it would be if we all, the whole world, had cookies and milk about three oclo
"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: Let each person do his or her part. If one citizen is unwilling to participate, all of us are going to
"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: In other times, I could stand here and give this kind of exposition on the beliefs of the Democratic Pa
"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"