2004-7-24
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VOICE ONE:
I'm Steve Ember.
VOICE TWO:
And I'm Sarah Long with People in America in VOA Special English.
Today, we tell about a woman who worked to make a difference in
people's lives, Barbara Jordan.
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VOICE ONE:
Barbara Jordan was a lawyer, educator and member of Congress. She
was well-known for her powerful, thoughtful speeches. During her
long political career, Barbara Jordan worked for social change. She
sought to use her political influence to make a difference for all
Americans.
Barbara Jordan became the first African-American woman to be
elected to the United States Congress to represent Texas. In
Nineteen-Seventy-Four, she gained national recognition as a member
of the congressional committee investigating President Richard
Nixon.
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VOICE TWO:
Barbara Charline Jordan was born in the southern city of Houston,
Texas in Nineteen-Thirty-Six. She was the youngest of three
daughters. Her father was a Baptist minister. He taught her a love
of family, faith, music and language. As a child, Barbara's parents
pushed her to succeed.
Barbara Jordan said her parents would criticize her for not
speaking correct English. They urged her to become a music teacher,
because they said that was the only good job for a black woman at
that time. Her sisters did become music teachers. Barbara Jordan,
however, explained later that she wanted to be something unusual. At
first she thought about being a pharmacist, a scientist who is an
expert in medicines. But, she noted, she never heard of an important
pharmacist.
VOICE ONE:
In high school, Barbara heard a black woman lawyer speak. Mizz
Jordan decided to become a lawyer. She attended the all-black
college, Texas Southern University in Houston. She led a
championship debating team and became known for her speaking skills.
She finished at the top of her class. Then she went onto Boston
University law school in Boston, Massachusetts.
After she finished law school, Mizz Jordan returned to Texas. She
began to work as a lawyer. She also discovered she was interested in
politics. Her interest began when she helped in a presidential
campaign. She worked to help get Democratic presidential nominee
John F. Kennedy elected in Nineteen-Sixty.
VOICE TWO:
Soon, Mizz Jordan decided to become a politician herself. She
first campaigned for public office in Nineteen-Sixty-Two. She wanted
to become a member of the Texas House of Representatives. She lost
that election, and another election two years later.
In Nineteen-Sixty-Six, she decided to seek a seat in the Texas
Senate. She won. Barbara Jordan became the first black person to
serve in the Texas Senate since Eighteen-Eighty-Three.
During her years as a Texas lawmaker, Mizz Jordan proposed and
helped pass legislation dealing with social change. She helped
reform public assistance programs and protect workers' wages. She
also opposed legislation that would have made it harder for blacks
and Latin Americans to vote.
VOICE ONE:
After eight years in the Texas Senate, Mizz Jordan campaigned for
a seat in the United States House of Representatives. She won
easily. She was the first woman and first black to be elected to
Congress to represent Texas.
In Congress, Mizz Jordan spoke for
the poor, for women, for African-Americans and Latin Americans. She
believed strongly, however, in being loyal to her state and her
political party. She considered the interests of the people of Texas
before those of any other group.
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VOICE TWO:
In Nineteen-Seventy-Four, Congresswoman Jordan was a member of
the House Judiciary committee. The committee was investigating
evidence of wrongdoing by then President Richard Nixon. The
Congressional hearings into the situation known as Watergate were
broadcast on national television.
During the Watergate hearings, Mizz Jordan declared her strong
belief in the United States Constitution. She denounced President
Nixon for violating it. She is remembered still for her commanding
presentation at the hearing and deep knowledge of constitutional
issues. The Watergate hearings that led to President Nixon's
resignation made Barbara Jordan known around the nation.
VOICE ONE:
Following the Watergate hearings, Barbara Jordan went on to other
firsts. In Nineteen-Seventy-Six, she was asked to speak at the
Democratic National Convention which nominated Jimmy Carter. Mizz
Jordan was the first black woman to give an opening speech at the
Democratic Convention. She said members of the Democratic party
believe that the people are the basis of all governmental power.
Democrats believe, she continued, that the power of the people is to
be extended, not restricted. In her speech, Mizz Jordan also urged
Americans to work for the common good:
(JORDAN)
"Many fear the future. Many are distrustful of their leaders and
believe that their voices are never heard. Many seek only to satisfy
their private wants, to satisfy their private interests. But this is
the great danger America faces -- that we will cease to be one
nation and become instead a collection of interest groups, each
seeking to satisfy private wants. If that happens, who then will
speak for America? Who then will speak for the common good?"
VOICE TWO:
The fact she was black and a woman
did not seem to slow Barbara Jordan's rise. Her future seemed
limitless. Then, in Nineteen-Seventy-Seven, Mizz Jordan suddenly
announced she was retiring from Congress and returning to Texas. She
later said she felt she was not making enough difference.
(JORDAN)
"If I felt that I could have been increasingly effective in that
job, I suppose I would have continued to do it. But politics is
(takes) a long, long time to make any significant, long-lasting
difference."
VOICE ONE:
After returning to Texas, Barbara Jordan began teaching about
political values at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs
at the University of Texas in Austin. Her two classes were so
popular, students had to be chosen from a long list.
At the time that Mizz Jordan left Congress, there were widespread
reports that failing health was the cause for her decision. Later,
it was announced that she had the disease called multiple sclerosis
that affects the muscles. She had to move about in a wheelchair.
But, she said, the disease did not lessen her thinking or the
quality of her mind. Nor did it affect her ability to speak.
(MUSIC)
VOICE TWO:
In the years after she retired from Congress, Mizz Jordan made
two more appearances at Democratic National Conventions. She
announced her support for the vice-presidential nomination of Lloyd
Bentsen at the Nineteen-Eighty-Eight convention in Atlanta. She
spoke from a wheelchair. Her powerful voice was heard once again at
the Nineteen-Ninety-Two Democratic convention, which nominated Bill
Clinton for president. In her speech, she called for national unity:
(JORDAN)
"We are one, we Americans, we're one, and we reject any intruder
who seeks to divide us on the basis of race and color. We honor
cultural identity--we always have, we always will. But, separatism
is not allowed (applause)--separatism is not the American way. We
must not allow ideas like political correctness to divide us and
cause us to reverse hard-won achievements in human rights and civil
rights." VOICE ONE:
Barbara Jordan considered herself a teacher first, above all
else. By her example, she taught all Americans about the importance
of one's beliefs and the power of truth. She developed pneumonia
caused by the blood cancer, leukemia, and died January Eighteenth,
Nineteen-Ninety-Six. She was fifty-nine.
VOICE TWO:
Barbara Jordan was buried wearing the Presidential Medal of
Freedom. It is the highest non-military honor given to Americans.
President Clinton presented it to her in Nineteen-Ninety-Four. At
the funeral ceremony, former Texas Governor Ann Richards said:
"There was simply something about her that made you proud to be part
of the country that produced her."
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VOICE ONE:
This Special English program was written by Cynthia Kirk and
produced by Lawan Davis. I'm Steve Ember.
VOICE TWO:
And I'm Sarah Long. Join us again next week for another People in
America program in VOA Special English.
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