>>>
>>> WELL,
>>> WELL, GOOD MORNING+@, EVERYONE.
EVERYONE.
EVERYONE. WE ARE GIVING PARENT AS BREAK +@
FOR 30 MINUTES AT WE CONTINUE
OUR END OF THE SCHOOL YEAR
EDUCATIONAL SERIES.
EDUCATIONAL SERIES. TODAY WE ARE TALKING ABOUT THE
TEXAS CIVIL RIGHTS ERA AND WE
ARE LOOKING AT BARBARA JORDAN,
TEXAS' VERY OWN.
>> I FELT FOR MANY YEARS THAT
GEORGIA WASHINGTON AND
ALEXANDER HAMILTON LEFT ME OUT
BY MISTAKE.
BY MISTAKE. BUT THROUGH THE PROCE+@SS OF
AMENDMENT, INTERPRETATION AND
COURT DECISION, I HAVE
FINALLY BEEN INCLUDED IN WE THE
PEOPLE.
PEOPLE.
PEOPLE. >> Reporter: THAT IS THE VOICE
OF BARBARA JORDAN, THE FIRST
AFRICAN-AMERICAN WOMAN ELECTED
TO THE TEXAS SENATE AND THE
FIRST SOUTHERN AFRICAN-AMERICAN
WOMAN ELECTED TO THE UNITED
STATES HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES.
REPRESENTATIVES. SHE WAS KNOWN FO+@R HER MANY
MOVING STATEMENTS AND KEYNOTE
ADDRESSES.
BUT,
BUT, FIRST, LET'S TALK ABOU+@ HOW SHE GOT HERE.
SHE WAS BORN IN HOUSTON IN
1936.
1936.
1936. SHE
1936. SHE WAS THE YOUNGEST OF THREE
GIR+@LS.
GIR+@LS.
GIR+@LS. JORDAN ATTENDED PHYLLIS WHEA+@T
+@
+@ HIGH+@
+@ HIGH+@ SCHOOL WHERE A CAREER DA
SPEECH FROM EDITH SAMPSON MOVED
HER TO BECOME AN ATTORNEY.
+@
+@ SHE
+@ SHE WAS AN AMERICAN JUDGE AND
FIRST BLACK+@ U.S. DELEGATE
APPOI+@NTED TO +@THE UNITED
NATIONS.
NATIONS.
+@
+@ BECAUSE OF SEGREGATION SHE
COULD NOT ATTEND UT TEXAS-
AUSTIN, SO SHE ATTENDED TEXAS
SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY, MAJORING
IN POLITIC+@AL SCIENCE AND
HISTORY.
HISTORY.
HISTORY. +@IT +@IS HERE JORDAN STARTED
MAKE A NAME FOR HERSELF.
JO+@RDAN
JO+@RDAN QUICKLY BECAME INVOLV+ AT TEXAS SOUTHERN.
SHE JOINED THE DEBATE TEAM AND
TURNED THE NATION'S EYE TO THIS
BRAND NEW UNIV+@ERSITY.
+@
BRAND NEW UNIV+@ERSITY. HER TEAM SURPRISINGLY AND
FAMOUSLY TIED HARVARD
UNIVERSITY'S DEBATE TEAM IN
HOUSTON.
HOUSTON.
+@
+@ AFTER
+@ AFTER GRADUATING MAGNA LAUDE
IN 1956, SHE GOT HER LAW
DEGREE, ONE OF ONLY TWO
AFRICAN-AMERICAN WOMEN IN HER
CLASS.
CLASS.
CLASS. SHE CAMPAIGNED FOR A HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES SEAT IN 1962
AND 196H FAILING TO WIN BOTH
TIMES, DUH SHE DID NOT GIVE UP
AND WON A SEAT IN THE TEXAS
SENATE IN 1966, THE FIRST
AFTER WOMAN TO DO SO.
THINK ABOUT BARBARA JORDAN'S
PERSEVERANCE AT THIS POINT IN
HER LIFE.
HER LIFE.
HER LIFE. SHE IS LIVING IN THE MIDDLE OF
THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT AND
CONSISTENTLY TAKING ON
POSITIONS WHERE SHE FINDS
HERSELF AS THE ONLY AFRICAN-
AMERICAN WOMAN IN THE ROOM.
THAT IS DEDICATED
DETERMINATION.
+@
DURING
DURING HER TIME SERVING IN THE SENATE, JORDAN'S PEERS ELECTED
HER AS THE PRESIDENT PRO TEM, +
BECOMING THE FIRST AFRICAN-
AMERICAN FEMALE TO EARN THIS
HONOR SO WHEN THE ACTING
GOVERNOR OR LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR
WAS OUT OF THE STATE JORDAN
WOULD SERVE AS ACTING GOVERNOR.
ON JUNE 10, 1972, SHE DID
JUST THAT,+@ BECOMING ANOTHER @
FIRST, THIS +@TIME THE FIRST
BLACK CHIEF EX+@ECUTIVE IN THE
NA+@TION.
IN
IN 1972
IN 1972 JORDAN CAMPAIGNED A THIRD TIME FOR A HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES SEAT.
REPRESENTATIVES SEAT.
+@
+@ WITH
+@ WITH HER COM+@MANDING VOICE SHE
WITH HER COM+@MANDING VOICE SHE@ GAVE MANY SPEECHES THROUGHOUT
THE HOUSTON AREA, INCLUDING
TELLING SUPPORTERS AT A RALLY I
WILL ONLY BE ONE OF 435, BUT
THE 434 WILL KNOW I AM THERE.
WITH 80% OF THE VOTES IN IN
THE PRIMARY, JORDAN WON AND
BECAME THE FIRST AFRICAN-
AMERICAN WOMAN TO TAKE A SEAT
IN THE HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES.
IN
IN 1973
IN 1973 JORDAN BEGAN TO SUFFER FROM MULTIPLE +@SCLEROSIS.
BUT THAT DIDN'T EFFECT HER
ABILITY TO COMMAND A ROOM.
ONE OF JORDAN'S BIGGEST
SUPPORTERS WE FORMER PRESIDENT
LYNDON B. JOHNSON THAT H+@ELPED
HER GET A POSITION WITH THE
HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE.
>> SO YOU WERE AS ACCESSIBLE AS
YOU COULD BE?
>> I NEVER HAD +@ANY DIFFICULTY
GETTING THROUGH +@TO LYNDON +@
JOHNSON.
JOHNSON.
JOHNSON. >> ON JULY 25, 1974, JORDAN
DELIVERED A 15 MINUTE
NATIONALLY TELEVISED SPEECH IN
FRONT OF THIS COMMITTEE.
SHE WAS OPENING THE HEARINGS
THAT WERE PART OF THE
IMPEACHMENT PROCESS +@AGAINST
PRESIDENT RICHARD NIXON.
HERE IS A PIECE OF THAT SPEECH
GIVEN AT 2:00 IN THE MORNING.
>> MY FAITH IN THE CONSTITUTION
IS WHOLE, IT IS COMPLETE,+@ I
IS TOTAL.
IS TOTAL.
IS TOTAL. AND I AM NOT GOING TO SIT HERE
AND BE AN+@ IDLE SPECTATOR TO T
DEMOLITION, SUBVERSION,
DEMOLITION, SUBVERSION, DEST+@RUCTION OR THE CONSTITUTI
DEST+@RUCTION OR THE CONSTITUTI@ >> MANY PEOPLE CONSIDERED THESE
STRONG WORDS FROM JORDAN MAKE
UP ONE OF THE BEST SPEECHES IN
RECENT AMERICAN HISTORY.
JORDAN STOOD BY THE
CONSTITUTION AND EXPLAI+@NED H
SUPPORT F+@OR THE FIVE ARTICLE+
OF IMPEACHMENT AGAINST
PRESIDENT NIXON.
PRESIDENT NIXON. TOWARD THE END SHE SAID IF HER
FELLOW COMMITTEE MEMBERS DID
NOT FIND THE EVIDENCE
CONVINCING ENOUGH --
>> THEN PERHAPS THAT 18th
CENTURY CONSTITUTION SHOULD BE
ABANDONED TO A 20th CENTURY
PAPER SHREDDER
PAPER SHREDDER >> AFTER THIS SPEECH MEDIA
AROUND THE NATION PRAISED
JORDAN FOR HER MORTALITY AND
WISDOM+@.
WISDOM+@.
WISDOM+@. A COUPLE YEARS LATER THERE WAS
BUZZ SHE COULD BE A POSSIBLY
PRESIDENTIAL RUNNING MATE TO
JIMMY CARTER FROM GEORGIA.
NOW, THIS DIDN'T HAPPEN BUT
SHE DID BECOME THE FIRST
AFRICAN-AMERICAN WOMAN TO GIVE
A KEYNOTE ADDRESS AT THE
DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION.
>>
>> WE
>> WE BELIEVE IN EQUALITY FOR +@
>> WE BELIEVE IN EQUALITY FOR ALL AND PRIVILEGES FOR NONE.
>>
>> THIS
>> THIS IS JUST ONE OF MANY SPEECHES JORDAN GAVE THAT
CONTINUED TO RESONATE WITH
PEOPLE.
PEOPLE.
PEOPLE. IN+@ 1978 SHE DECLINED TO RUN
FOR A FOURTH TERM, RETIRING
FROM POLITICS A YEAR LATER.
SHE BECAME AN ADJUNCT PROFESSOR
TEACHING ETHICS AT THE SCHOO+@L
SHE WAS ONCE NO+@T ALLOWED INTO
THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS-
AUST+@IN.
AUST+@IN.
AUST+@IN. EVEN IN RETIREMENT AND IN A
+@
EVEN IN RETIREMENT AND IN A WHEELCHAIR BATTLING MULTIPLE
SCLEROSI+@S, JORDAN CAME BACK
WASHINGTON IN 1992 TO BE THE
KEYNOTE SPEAKER AT THE
+@
KEYNOTE SPEAKER AT THE DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION
ONE MORE TIME.
>> OUR STRENGTH, OUR ST+@RENGT
IN THIS COUNTRY IS ROOTED IN
OUR DIVERSITY.
OUR DIVERSITY. OUR HISTORY BEARS WITNESS TO
THAT FACT, FROM +@MANY ONE.
IT WAS A GOOD IDEA WHEN THE
COUNTRY WAS FOUNDED AND IT IS A
GOOD IDEA TODAY.
[CHEERING
[CHEERING & APPLAUSE]
>>
>> JORDAN
>> JORDAN DIE FROM THE PNEUMONIA IN AUSTIN, TEXAS,
ON JANUARY 17, +@ 1996.
MORE THAN 1,500 PEOPLE POURED
INTO THE GOOD HOPE MISSIONARY
BAPTIST CHURCH IN HOUSTON TO
REMEMBER, CELEBRATE AND HONOR
BARBARA CHARLENE JORDAN.
FROM
FROM A
FROM A YOUNG GIRL IN HOUSTON TO A DEBATE STAR AT TEXAS
SOUTHERN, TO ONE OF THE
STRONGEST VOICES IN WASHINGTON,
D.C., JORDAN LEFT AN IMPACT ON
TEXAS AND THIS NATION.
SHE SPOKE WITH CONFIDENCE AND
CONVICTION NO MATTER THE STAGE.
I LIKE TO LEAVE YOU WITH PART
OF AN INTERVIEW WITH JORDAN
FROM 1985 WHE+@RE SHE SPOKE ON
THE CURRENT STATE OF EQU+@ALITY
AND JUSTICE IN AMERICA.
>>
>> ALL
>> ALL I
>> ALL I CAN SAY IS THAT EQUALITY AND JUSTICE REMAIN IN
OUR ETHICAL AND IDEALISTIC VIEW
OF WHAT THE UNITED STATES OF
AMERICA OUGHT TO BE, AND I
BELIEVE THAT ON BOTH THOSE
ISSUES, EQUALITY AND JUSTICE,
TH+@INGS+@ ARE HAPPENING QUICKL
I
I DO
I DO THINK THAT I WILL LIVE LONG ENOUGH TO SAY IN REALITY,
EQUALITY IS