82R7855 JH-D
By: Dukes H.R. No. 414
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, February 21, 2011, marked the 75th anniversary of
the birth of the Honorable Barbara Jordan; the legacy that she
established in her service to the citizens of Texas and the United
States of America remains a source of inspiration to countless
people, and time cannot diminish the contributions of this
admirable patriot, politician, teacher, mentor, friend, icon, and
hero; and
WHEREAS, Born in 1936 to Benjamin and Arlyne Jordan, Barbara
Jordan was raised in Houston's Fifth Ward and graduated with honors
from Phillis Wheatley High School in the Houston Independent School
District; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Jordan attended Texas Southern University,
where she majored in government and history and was a member of the
debate team, winning numerous honors for her oratory skills; after
graduating magna cum laude from TSU, she enrolled at the Boston
University School of Law and received her law degree in 1959; and
WHEREAS, In 1966, Ms. Jordan became the first black woman
ever elected to the Texas Senate as well as the first African
American to be elected as a state senator in the United States since
1883; and
WHEREAS, Following her successful run for a seat in the U.S.
Congress in 1972, Ms. Jordan served in the House of Representatives
from 1973 until 1979, during which time she enhanced her reputation
as an evocative public speaker and arose as a leader on issues
relating to voting rights, consumer protection, energy, and the
environment; and
WHEREAS, In her role as a member of the House Committee on the
Judiciary, she gained national prominence during the Watergate
impeachment proceedings against President Nixon in 1974; speaking
before the committee, she movingly portrayed the intention of the
framers of the U.S. Constitution and eloquently expressed her faith
in that document, even as she noted that "We the People," the first
words of the preamble to the Constitution, were not originally
intended to apply to African Americans; and
WHEREAS, In 1976, Congresswoman Jordan became the first
female and the first African American to serve as the keynote
speaker at the Democratic National Convention, and her speech
reiterated her faith in the Constitution and the desire to form a
national community that would fulfill the country's purpose of
creating and sustaining a society in which all are equal; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Jordan retired from elective office in 1979 and
became a distinguished professor at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of
Public Affairs at The University of Texas at Austin; for the
remainder of her life, she focused on mentoring a new generation of
aspiring leaders, encouraging them to excel and to commit
themselves to public service; and
WHEREAS, At the request of President Bill Clinton, she became
chair of the U.S. Commission on Immigration Reform in the mid-1990s
and held that office until her death; in 1994, President Clinton
honored her for her patriotism and outstanding service by awarding
her the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the country's highest
civilian honor; and
WHEREAS, Barbara Jordan passed away in January 1996, but her
lifelong commitment to freedom, integrity, equality, and justice
resonates as powerfully today as it did in years past, and her
tireless efforts to champion our nation's highest ideals are indeed
deserving of our recognition and respect; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd Texas
Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of Barbara Jordan in
honor of the 75th anniversary of her birth.