With the recent deaths of the Rev. Jesse Jackson Jr. and local faith leader and freedom fighter the Rev. Graylan Hagler, pastor emeritus of Plymouth Congregational United Church of Christ, many Black Americans have expressed concerns about the increasing demise of leaders like these men who were brilliant, bold, and unabashedly Black.
But before wallowing in dismay and giving up, it is important to revisit a seminal moment in Black history: When a woman from the segregated South with a keen legal mind refused to be held back by restrictions placed on her because of her race and gender.
That woman, Rep. Barbara Jordan (D-Texas), as a lawyer, politician, and scholar, used her public speaking abilities to fight for human and civil rights – not for African Americans alone, but for all Americans.
On July 24, 1974, in her famous U.S. House Judiciary Committee statement regarding the impeachment of President Richard Nixon, Jordan captivated the world’s attention and powerfully addressed her initial exclusion from the Constitution.
“I felt somehow, for many years, that George Washington and Alexander Hamilton just left me out by mistake,” she said.
Jordan used her 15 minutes as a teachable moment, emphasizing that through amendments and court decisions, she was finally included in that powerful, opening phrase of the Constitution, “We, the people.”
Jordan was often criticized for being too arrogant. However, in her rebuttal, she said there was nothing wrong with that, if there was something to be arrogant about.
For Jordan arrogance was not the focus, but accountability. Throughout her short life of 59 years, she never made excuses for her own imperfection or failures.
In her speech during the Nixon impeachment, historians note that she was so convincing because of her ability to maintain a solemn tone and how she remained focused on legal, constitutional arguments rather than embracing and displaying partisan anger.
Jordan knew what it was like to be a woman in a patriarchal society. And she understood the barriers she faced because of her race. But she refused to allow the “isms” of American society to keep her from walking in her destiny and following her dreams.
Now is the time for the next generation of activists to be inspired by the work of Jordan, Jackson and Hagler as the nation still works to combat racism and inequities.
As the District and nation uplift Jackson and Hagler, and with Women’s History Month kicking off on Sunday, highlighting Jordan’s work and honoring her legacy not only provides a lesson about another freedom fighter, but offers a blueprint for the future.
Despite continued division, racism, and work to revoke civil rights, young activists must boldly and clearly push back against prejudice, inhibiting systems.