Happy Holidays from the Barbara Jordan Archives

As the holiday season draws near, we are reminded that for many of our public servants the demands of the job never stop, and Barbara Jordan was certainly no exception. Her invitation files are full of requests for appearances at official functions, social functions, organization get-togethers and private parties at all times of the year, not just the holiday season. Here is one of Jordan's invitations from President Carter to the 1976 lighting of the National Community Christmas tree in the President's Park in Washington, D.C. Here also is a 1973 invitation from the American Postal Workers Union inviting Jordan to one of their holiday functions. These are just two of the thousands of events that Jordan was invited to during her time in office that highlight Jordan's demand as a politician of prominence.

Have a very happy holiday season from all of us at the Barbara Jordan Archives!

Rosa Parks--55 years later

Today is the 55th anniversary of one of the seminal acts of civil disobedience in America's history. On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a Montgomery, Alabama city bus to a white male passenger. Parks' refusal touched off the Montgomery Bus Boycott, leading to the historic United States Supreme court decision that declared the Alabama and Montgomery laws requiring segregated buses to be unconstitutional. Following the court case, Parks (a seamstress by trade) went on to become a beloved public figure, lending her name and voice to various civil and human rights issues for the next several decades. Parks died in 2005 at the age of 92. Today, the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self-Development continues to provide opportunities for African-American youths for education and self-growth.

These photographs of Rosa Parks are from the Barbara

Jordan Archives, and were taken at the Congressional Black

Congress dinner on October 6, 1978. The dinner was attended by a "Who's Who" in the African-American community (both in and out of politics); Parks was photographed with then-President Jimmy Carter and his wife, former First Lady Roslyn. Enjoy!

Barbara Jordan campaigns, 1962-1976

As Election Month 2010 draws to a close, take a look at our newest online exhibit. The exhibit features Barbara Jordan's campaigns for seats in the Texas Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives. Here you'll see photographs and artifacts from Jordan's political races. Click here to see the exhibit. Enjoy!

Texas Southern University Homecoming

As this weekend marks another TSU Homecoming, we thought this might be an interesting object to post--again, quite by accident, this turned up in an old newspaper clippings file. It's Jordan's acceptance letter to TSU, dated August 28, 1952. Imagine the changes that have occurred at TSU (and the world, for that matter) in the nearly 60 years since Jordan arrived on campus! In addition to Jordan's widely-renowned participation and accomplishments on the
TSU debate team (such as her win at Baylor's annual Forensic Tournament, left, in 1956; in the center is Jordan's debate coach Dr. Thomas Freeman, who is still teaching at TSU today), Jordan was also active with the Delta Sigma Theta sorority, and maintained contacts with her sisters and the organization the rest of her life. We came across a link to a documentary about the founding of the sorority, called the "Black Sorority Project," and since Delta Sigma Theta was a part of Jordan's
time at TSU, we thought it deserved a look. Happy Homecoming to all you TSU Tigers both past and present!

American Archives Month--the National Archives

As American Archives Month winds down, it’s interesting to consider the wonderful and historical artifacts that can be found in archives that cover a wide range of subjects and eras--and the possibilities are endless! For example, there's the Coca Cola archives, the Warner Brothers archives, and the Hard Rock Cafe archives, to name just a few. The National Archives, established by Franklin Roosevelt in 1934, has countless collections and items pertaining to almost every aspect of American history—here’s some of the fun and interesting online exhibits related to American politics the National Archives has available:

The political cartoons of Clifford Berryman: http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/running-for-office/

Presidential elections over the last 80 years: http://www.trumanlibrary.org/museum/4years/index.htm

Gifts to twelve Presidents: http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/tokens_and_treasures/tokens_and_treasures_home.html

Happy hunting, everyone!

Jordan and the Clarence Thomas confirmation hearings--oh, the drama...

Quite by accident we ran across this little blurb in a box of magazines--it comes from the February 27, 1993 Opera News. Fifteen newsmakers, journalists and political figures, including Barbara Jordan, were asked what 20th century real-life event would make a great plot for an opera. Jordan chose the Clarence Thomas confirmation hearings, which brought with them unexpected controversy in the wake of Anita Hill's testimony that rocked the nation. Very timely, considering that the Thomas-Hill scandal has surfaced in the news again in the past couple of days!

American Archives Month

Did you know that October is American Archives Month? American Archives Month was launched in 2006 by the Society of American Archivists (North America's oldest and largest national archival professional association) as a way to promote the value of archives and archivists. The Barbara Jordan Archives is celebrating the month by making as many people aware of the richness and value of archives in general—and not just our own! Click here for some general information on archives. Did you also know that Houston has its own professional organization for archivists? It’s called the Archivists of the Houston Area, or AHA for short. Part of AHA’s mission is to to promote archival repositories and activities in the greater Houston, Texas area. For instance, did you know that in the Houston area alone there are over 40 archival repositories of all sizes, collecting areas and subject matter, including science, medicine, local history, African American history, performing arts, the Holocaust, art and film, church histories, and even cookbooks? Visit the AHA webpage at http://houstonarchivists.org/ for more information.