Happy Cinco de Mayo!

In honor of Cinco de Mayo and Jordan's support of the Hispanic community of Texas, we offer a special exhibit chronicling Jordan's involvement with the Voting Rights Act of 1975.  This legislation was an extension of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which essence prohibited states from using poll taxes, literacy tests, "grandfather clauses," or gerrymandering in elections--these were typical tactics used to deny or curtail the voting rights of US citizens on account of race or color, particularly in the Southern states. When the Act was due for reauthorization in 1975, Jordan became interested in extending voting rights to Mexican American voters, chiefly due to the interest of her staffers Bob Alcock and Bud Myers, who were connected with many civil rights lobbyists in Washington. They brought to Jordan's attention the fact that Mexican American voters were having difficulties with voter blocking and intimidation in many parts of the U.S., particularly in areas with high concentrations of Hispanics--including Texas. Texan attorney Paul Cedillo, Jr., also brought to Jordan's attention an incident involving voter intimidation at a school board election in Rosenberg, Texas in 1975, sending her affidavits from Mexican American voters who were turned away from the polls for a variety of reasons. Jordan had a personal interest in the issue as she had connections to MALDEF, LULAC, and had even assisted Cesar Chavez during a 1967 protest in Texas over minimum wages for migrant workers; in addition, her chief aide Bob Alcock’s mother was a Mexican native, so the issue of voting rights for Mexican Americans hit close to home for Jordan.

Jordan decided the time was right to amend the Voting Rights Act to not only include Spanish-speaking citizens, but other language-minority voters--and to make sure Texas, which was excluded from the Voting Rights Act of 1965 in terms of voting fairness for language-minorities, was included in the reauthorization. Thanks to Jordan's efforts, we've had bilingual voting materials at polling places ever since.  Jordan's victory had its hurdles, though--for example, then-President Gerald Ford tried to block the bill in the Senate and it took a Jordan supporter in the Senate to invoke a little-used special senatorial procedure to break a filibuster. Jordan considered the passage of the amendment to be the highlight of her political career. 

Please visit our online exhibit at Flickr to learn more:  click a link for an English version or en Español (note: you can pause any slide at any time by clicking the pause icon at the bottom left of the slide show). Or, if you're in the Houston area, please visit us at the Robert J. Terry Library's Special Collections, and you can see our exhibit in person through the month of May or in electronic format on our museum's audiovisual display at Texas Southern University. 

A Dream Remembered

Houston Chronicle, April 5, 1969

Today marks the 44^th anniversary of the passing of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who was assassinated on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee.  Recently, we came across this article in one of Jordan’s scrapbooks.  Jordan spoke at a memorial service in Houston in 1969, one year after the death of King.  In her address, Jordan noted the racial tensions in Houston at the time, particularly among college students; Jordan implored black and white Houstonians alike to remember the teachings and philosophies of Dr. King and asked the Houston community to make an effort to understand one another.

First page from Jordan's King speech, 1976

Jordan also gave an address some time in 1976 (the exact date, location and occasion are unknown at this writing) reflecting on achievements within the African American community in the eight years after King’s death, particularly in the reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act.  To read the entire speech, click here for a slideshow.

We present these pieces from the Jordan Papers as an acknowledgement that Jordan believed in and supported King’s message and dream. 

Jordan Exhibit at the State Capitol

In honor of Barbara Jordan Week and Jordan’s 76^th birthday, the Barbara Jordan Archives, in conjunction with the LBJ School of Public Affairs at UT-Austin, the Barbara Jordan Freedom Foundation and Senator Rodney Ellis, has installed an exhibit entitled “Congresswoman Barbara Jordan:  American Hero, Texas Legend” in the ground level rotunda at the Texas State Capitol.  A ten-by-twenty foot timeline and over a dozen panels tell Jordan’s story from her beginnings in Houston,  to her achievements in both the Texas Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives, to her teaching career at UT-Austin and to her untimely death at age 59.   The purpose of the exhibit is to both salute the incredible career and achievements of Jordan for those who remember her time in the public eye, and to educate people (especially the young students and scholars of Texas) about a real-life Texas hero.  The exhibit will run through February 24, 2012. 

For those who will not be able to see the exhibit in person, we have created an online version of the exhibit.  You may view the slide show by clicking here or view and download a full-color PDF version by clicking here.  We hope you enjoy the exhibit!

Happy Birthday, Barbara Jordan!

Texas Senate Resolution no. 180, honoring
Jordan's birthday in 1969. 

February 21, 2012 marks what would have been Barbara Jordan's 76th birthday.  In honor of the occasion, there are several events the Barbara Jordan Archives would like to make you aware of.  The 82ndTexas Legislature has designated the week of February 21-27 as Barbara Jordan Freedom Week, (week of February 21 -27), and with the assistance of the Barbara Jordan Archives at Texas Southern University, the Barbara Jordan Freedom Foundation, the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at University of Texas-Austin and the generosity of the Tocker Family Foundation, an interactive timeline and panel display highlighting Jordan’s life and achievements will be installed in the ground floor rotunda of the Texas State Capitol.  We are very excited about the exhibit as it incorporates many photographs, documents and artifacts from the Archives.  The exhibit will be open from Tuesday, February 21 – Friday, February 24.  Read the press release here.

Also, the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at University of Texas-Austin is also hosting a week-long series of events for Barbara Jordan Week, including speakers, brown-bag discussions and workshops, all related to Barbara Jordan and topics such as voting, racial barriers, and social justice. Read more about the LBJ School events here.

Next week, we will post a virtual version of the capitol exhibit so those of you who will not be able to visit the exhibit in person will have a chance to enjoy it and learn more about the life and triumphs of Barbara Jordan. 

Black History Month 2012: Barbara Jordan and the Equal Rights Amendment

The Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH) has designated “Black Women in American Culture and History” for the official theme of Black History Month 2012.  In observance of this year’s theme, the Barbara Jordan Archives takes a look back at Congresswoman Barbara Jordan's work with the Equal Rights Amendment in a virtual exhibit.

Jordan in her office at the Texas Senate, ca 1969

Jordan was one of only two women in the Texas Senate in 1969 (along with Frances “Sissy” Farenholt in the House) when Congress yet again debated an Equal Rights Amendment. The two women banded together to cosponsor passage of the ERA in Texas, and then decided to propose an equal rights amendment guaranteeing equal rights for women to the Texas Constitution. Jordan continued to speak out on the ERA and the importance of its nationwide passage throughout her Congressional career--for instance, Jordan worked on legislation such as a bill to provide Social Security benefits for homemakers.  And during her last term, Jordan joined with her fellow Congresswomen to fight for an extension of the ERA ratification process that was due to expire in 1979.  

To learn more about the Equal Rights Amendment and the role Jordan played in the debates, click here for the virtual exhibit.

From the Barbara Jordan Archives--happy Black History Month!

Happy Holidays!

Happy holidays from the Barbara Jordan Archives!  This time of year we like to display seasonal times from Jordan’s papers.  Last year we looked at official Congressional invitations to Christmas parties, holiday gatherings, etc.  This year we thought it would be fun to take a look at a few Christmas cards that Jordan received from some noteworthy senders.  We only have a handful of Jordan’s personal holiday cards, unfortunately, but what Jordan chose to keep was definitely worth saving—and some of these probably not have been seen in decades.  Click on the images to see a larger view.  Enjoy, and have the merriest of holiday seasons! 

President Gerald and Betty Ford card, front.  1978

President Gerald and Betty Ford card, interior.  1978

President Jimmy and Roslyn Carter card, front.  1978

President Jimmy and Roslyn Carter card, interior.  1978

Vice President Walter and Joan Mondale card, front.  1978

Vice President Walter and Joan Mondale card, interior.  1978

Congresswoman Cardiss Collins card, front.  1978

Congresswoman Cardiss Collins card, interior.  1978

President Bill and Hillary Clinton card, 1994.   This card measures 16" x 16" and was sent to Jordan in an oversized envelope.

Elvis Presley postcard, 1975.  This was created by the Las Vegas Hilton, where Presley performed several times a year in the 1970s.  Presley's longtime manager "Colonel" Tom Parker is dressed as Santa, left. 

Elvis Presley postcard, reverse.  1975

Solving Puzzles

(l-r)  Jordan, Joanne Cole and Criss Cole, State Capitol, September  9, 1969

Originally, this posting of “Buried Treasures” was intended to be a salute to the 57th anniversary of Brown vs. Board of Education, the 1954 landmark Supreme Court case ruling that declared state laws establishing separate public schools for black and white students were unconstitutional.  There were a few photographs listed in the old photographs inventory of the Jordan Papers that were purportedly of Jordan giving a speech on November 15, 1973 in observation of the ruling, so we thought we could highlight Jordan’s involvement with this historic decision.  However, the five photographs contained no information; thus, no clues to the location, the exact date or the nature of the event were present, other than a handwritten label on the photographs folder stating “Brown Decision Anniversary, November 15, 1973.”  And further, the largest image appeared to be taken in the Texas Senate chambers by the look of the desks and furnishings; this was the first indication that the photos might have been mislabeled, because Jordan had moved on to Congress by that point. Additionally, Jordan’s hairstyle and clothing seemed a bit dated for 1973.  So, we began by checking Jordan’s travel itineraries and appointment schedules to see if we could determine if Jordan had made a speech at a Brown v. Board commemorative event during that period of time, but no luck.  Next, we checked Jordan’s newspaper clippings scrapbooks from the June-December 1973 date range—still nothing.  

Reverse of above image with backing removed.
Notice the double sided masking tape.

We then noticed that the largest of the images (featuring Jordan and an unnamed man and woman) had a cardboard backing affixed to the reverse side of the image; these backings are not uncommon (unfortunately) with photographs collections from this time period.  Many archives would use original photographs for exhibit purposes and would mount the photographs to give them extra stability (and sometimes the original owner of a photograph might also affix a mounting themselves for various reasons).  The problem is that most adhesives, such as glues and tapes, are highly acidic and therefore destructive to photographs.  In most cases, the best thing to do with photographs that are mounted in such a way (such as in scrapbooks and the old “magnetic page” photo albums of the 1970s and 80s) is to simply leave the photographs alone as removing them may cause further damage to the images.

State Capital Review, ca. September 10, 1969.

However, this particular photograph’s backing was somewhat loose, so we were able to expose enough of the back to discover a date, a photographer's stamp and some writing.  What we found indicated that the images were NOT from a Brown vs. Board anniversary event.  Instead, we discovered that the images were taken at the Texas Senate chambers in Austin on September 9, 1969, the last day of the 61^st Legislative Session.  A check of Jordan’s clipping scrapbooks revealed a newspaper article that detailed Jordan’s nomination of Criss Cole for president pro tempore of the Texas Senate during the final hours of the session.  Cole was a Houston lawyer and a member of the Texas House of Representatives and Senate (1955-1962 and 1963-1970, respectively) and a former Marine who lost his sight while serving during World War II.  After Jordan’s nomination, Cole was elected president pro tempore and served as Governor for a Day of Texas in 1970; coincidentally, of course, Jordan would be awarded the same honor in 1972.  Thus, the unnamed couple appearing in the main photograph with Jordan are Criss Cole and his wife Joanne.  (You can read more about Cole and the visual-impairment rehabilitation center named for him here.)

This is a great example of the value of archives and why we call this blog “Buried Treasures.”  Taking a second, closer look at an item and doing a little detective work can uncover some surprising stories and truths.  We think Jordan, known for her preparation work and research, would agree.