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June Jordan Biography

June Jordan, Writer
Born asJune Millicent Jordan
Occup.Writer
FromUSA
BornJuly 9, 1936
Harlem, New York City, New York, USA
DiedJune 14, 2002
Berkeley, California, USA
CauseBreast cancer
Aged65 years
Early Life and Education
June Millicent Jordan was born upon July 9, 1936, in Harlem, New York City. She was the daughter of Granville Ivanhoe Jordan, a postal worker and social worker, and Mildred Maud Jordan, a nurse. Raised in a working-class Caribbean American household, June's upbringing was marked by both cultural richness and intricacy. Her father was a demanding figure who instilled in her a gratitude for Black culture and education however likewise exposed her to severe disciplinary procedures. Despite these challenges, June Jordan found solace and inspiration in the arts, especially in literature and poetry.

Jordan participated in Barnard College in New York City, where she immersed herself in a mainly white scholastic environment. Her time at Barnard was tough, as she browsed issues of racial and gender identity amidst the conservative background of the 1950s. It was during this duration that Jordan began to seriously engage in writing, using it as a tool to explore and reveal her thoughts on social justice and human rights.

Career and Literary Contributions
June Jordan's profession as a writer, poet, and activist started taking shape in the 1960s. Her work was deeply interwoven with the social and political movements of the time, consisting of the Civil Rights Movement and the increase of feminism. Jordan's writing is celebrated for its courageous exploration of styles such as race, gender, sexuality, and identity, often challenging social standards and advocating for marginalized communities.

Her first significant publication, "Who Look at Me" (1969), was a collection of poems that juxtaposed the African American experience against the backdrop of American society. The book was favored and established Jordan as a substantial voice in modern American literature. Throughout the years, she authored over 25 books, including poetry collections, essays, and kids's literature. Some of her notable works consist of "His Own Where" (1971), "Civil Wars" (1981), "Living Room: New Poems" (1985), and "Haruko/Love Poems" (1993).

Jordan was also understood for her incisive essays, often released in leading periodicals. Her essays tackled pressing issues such as racial discrimination, the intersectionality of oppression, and the function of language in politics. One of her most famous essays, "Poem about My Rights", showcases her capability to mix personal narrative with wider socio-political commentary.

Academic and Political Engagement
Beyond composing, June Jordan held different academic positions, most notably at the University of California, Berkeley, where she taught English and African American Studies. Her pedagogical method was grounded in encouraging students to utilize composing as a type of activism and self-expression. She founded and directed "Poetry for individuals", a program that intended to teach poetry to a varied trainee body and empower them to articulate their experiences through verse.

Jordan's activism extended into her political engagement, where she was an outspoken critic of oppressive policies and a strong supporter for human rights. She aligned herself with various social motions and was particularly singing about concerns impacting the African American community and ladies of color.

Personal Life and Relationships
June Jordan married Michael Meyer, a fellow trainee she satisfied while participating in Barnard College. Together they had a child, Christopher David Meyer. The marital relationship later on ended in divorce, enabling Jordan to explore her identity and sexuality more freely. Throughout her life, she kept friendships and collaborative relationships with popular figures such as Alice Walker, Adrienne Rich, and Toni Morrison, who shared her commitment to social justice and literary quality.

Legacy and Death
June Jordan died on June 14, 2002, from breast cancer. She left behind a legacy that continues to motivate authors, activists, and scholars across the globe. Her work is commemorated for its guts, intellect, and unwavering dedication to justice, and her life's contributions have actually left an indelible mark on American literature and activism.

Jordan's tradition is continued through various foundations and initiatives committed to promoting literary arts and social justice, ensuring that her voice and vision endure well beyond her years.

Our collection contains 22 quotes who is written / told by June.

Related authors: Audre Lorde (Poet), Alice Walker (Author), Christo (Artist), Toni Morrison (Novelist), Adrienne Rich (Poet), Lawrence Taylor (Athlete)

Frequently Asked Questions
  • Q: June Jordan essay
    A: June Jordan's essays, like those in 'Civil Wars,' discuss issues of race, gender, and social justice.
  • Q: June Jordan poems love
    A: Her poetry often explored themes of love intertwined with social and political issues.
  • Q: June Jordan short poems
    A: June Jordan's short poems often address themes of identity, race, and social justice.
  • Q: June Jordan poems book
    A: Her poetry collection 'Directed by Desire: The Collected Poems of June Jordan' is widely acclaimed.
  • Q: June Jordan famous Poems
    A: Some of her famous poems include 'Poem about My Rights' and 'A Poem About Intelligence for My Brothers and Sisters.'
  • Q: June Jordan poems
    A: June Jordan was known for her powerful and socially-charged poetry.
  • Q: How old was June Jordan?
    A: She became 65 years old
June Jordan Famous Works:
Source / external links:

22 Famous quotes by June Jordan

Small: One of the reasons I came to Berkeley was because I saw so many students of all different colors speaki
"One of the reasons I came to Berkeley was because I saw so many students of all different colors speaking so many different languages and ferociously presenting all these different views. I thought, this is the 21st century and I want to be here!"
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Small: Poetry is a political act because it involves telling the truth
"Poetry is a political act because it involves telling the truth"
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Small: My father was both the person who gave me reason to learn how to fight and the one who taught me the ba
"My father was both the person who gave me reason to learn how to fight and the one who taught me the basics of fighting. He would tell me that if it was a big fight, it would probably be uneven, it wouldn't be fair"
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Small: In the process of telling the truth about what you feel or what you see, each of us has to get in touch
"In the process of telling the truth about what you feel or what you see, each of us has to get in touch with himself or herself in a really deep, serious way"
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Small: But, based on my friendship with Evie as young mothers, I started going on freedom rides in 1966
"But, based on my friendship with Evie as young mothers, I started going on freedom rides in 1966"
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Small: I am a feminist, and what that means to me is much the same as the meaning of the fact that I am Black:
"I am a feminist, and what that means to me is much the same as the meaning of the fact that I am Black: it means that I must undertake to love myself and to respect myself as though my very life depends upon self-love and self-respect"
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Small: Bisexuality means I am free and I am as likely to want to love a woman as I am likely to want to love a
"Bisexuality means I am free and I am as likely to want to love a woman as I am likely to want to love a man, and what about that? Isn't that what freedom implies?"
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Small: The courts cannot garnish a fathers salary, nor freeze his account, nor seize his property on behalf of
"The courts cannot garnish a father's salary, nor freeze his account, nor seize his property on behalf of his children, in our society. Apparently this is because a kid is not a car or a couch or a boat"
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Small: So, poetry becomes a means for useful dialogue between people who are not only unknown, but mute to eac
"So, poetry becomes a means for useful dialogue between people who are not only unknown, but mute to each other. It produces a dialogue among people that guards all of us against manipulation by our so-called leaders"
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Small: It means to educate myself incessantly about the world around me
"It means to educate myself incessantly about the world around me"
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Small: To tell the truth is to become beautiful, to begin to love yourself, value yourself. And thats politica
"To tell the truth is to become beautiful, to begin to love yourself, value yourself. And that's political, in its most profound way"
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Small: My father was very intense, passionate and over-the-top. He was my hero and my tyrant
"My father was very intense, passionate and over-the-top. He was my hero and my tyrant"
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Small: I wrote those poems for myself, as a way of being a soldier here in this country. I didnt know the poem
"I wrote those poems for myself, as a way of being a soldier here in this country. I didn't know the poems would travel. I didn't go to Lebanon until two years ago, but people told me that many Arabs had memorized these poems and translated them into Arabic"
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Small: We do not deride the fears of prospering white America. A nation of violence and private property has e
"We do not deride the fears of prospering white America. A nation of violence and private property has every reason to dread the violated and the deprived"
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Small: There are two ways to worry words. One is hoping for the greatest possible beauty in what is created. T
"There are two ways to worry words. One is hoping for the greatest possible beauty in what is created. The other is to tell the truth"
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Small: The music of language became extremely important to me, and obvious to me. By the time I was seven I wa
"The music of language became extremely important to me, and obvious to me. By the time I was seven I was writing myself. I was a poet"
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Small: I think I have come to a place where Im able to feel more comfortable about being honest
"I think I have come to a place where I'm able to feel more comfortable about being honest"
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Small: Consequently, most of us really exist at the mercy of other peoples formulations of whats important
"Consequently, most of us really exist at the mercy of other people's formulations of what's important"
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Small: Language is political. Thats why you and me, my Brother and Sister, thats why we supposed to choke our
"Language is political. That's why you and me, my Brother and Sister, that's why we supposed to choke our natural self into the weird, lying, barbarous, unreal, white speech and writing habits that the schools lay down like holy law"
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Small: CORE was committed to nonviolence, but I was not
"CORE was committed to nonviolence, but I was not"
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Small: That attitude that fighting is probably not fair, but you have to defend yourself anyway and damage the
"That attitude that fighting is probably not fair, but you have to defend yourself anyway and damage the enemy, has been profoundly consequential as far as my political activism goes"
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Small: The first function of poetry is to tell the truth, to learn how to do that, to find out what you really
"The first function of poetry is to tell the truth, to learn how to do that, to find out what you really feel and what you really think"
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