By: Ellis, et al. S.C.R. No. 10
(Dukes)
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, The legacy that the Honorable Barbara Jordan
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 on February 21, 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 Texas Southern University, 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
United States 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 United States 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 United States 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 she is
indeed deserving of special recognition, on the anniversary of her
birth, in the state that she served so well; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the 82nd Legislature of the State of Texas
hereby designate February 21 through 27 of each year from 2011
through 2020 as Barbara Jordan Freedom Week.