[Barbara Jordan Scrapbook, July - September, 1974] Page: 51 of 236
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Ms
(9 7fL
BARBARA
JORDAN:
Her feet are
on the
groundBY PAMELA DOUGLAS
W hat makes Barbara Jordan
mighty is the same timbre that
has created mighty black women
throughout our history; whether the
victories have been in public life, like
Congresswoman Jordan's, or whether
they have been the victories of surviv-
ing one more day. Like fire toughens
steel, the fires of racism and sexism,
combined with the hard realities of
not having money, not having "con-
nections," and not being a "pretty lit-
tle thing," have brought forth a force
capable of weathering the compro-
mises, the detractors, the long struggle
of being elected the first black person
in Congress from the South since "Re-
construction."
(she prefers that
to Congresswoman) Jordan told
MsTIQUE, "A black woman inter-
ested in entering politics has to first
really want in her heart of hearts to be
successful. She must work hard, read,
think." Considered a protege of for-mer President Lyndon Johnson, he
once said publicly, "Barbara taught us
all that black is beautiful long before it
became a popular slogan." But she has
never considered herself "beautiful"
in the traditional sense, nor that
beauty is necessary for success.
One day in the tenth grade she
heard a woman lawyer address the
high school career day assembly, and
decided on the spot that she would be
a lawyer. Her homeroom teacher said
he encouraged her, but her father, a
traditional Baptist minister, who
would later encourage and abet her,
found out and marched to school and
said, "I understand you have been en-
couraging my daughter to become a
lawyer. I will thank you to stay out of
my family's affairs. That's no profes-
sion for a girl to be in." Using the cold
realism and sure, undaunted intention
that is typical of her, young Barbara
told the teacher, "I am big and fat and
too tall and I'll never have a manproblem. I'll never get to college un-
less my father pays for it. So I will do
exactly what he tells me until I am 21
years old and then I'll do what I
please."
We cheer that kind of spunky atti-
tude, but not the casual acceptance of
physical characteristics she obviously
did not consider to be. positives. This
early assessment of herself is reported-
ly similar to remarks she makes even
today. If this is so, Congresswoman
Jordan may be harder on herself than
anyone else. Though tall, which we
happen to think is a rather smashing
asset, she need not be fat. And, yes,
she will always be a large female, but
men have been choosing them in
every size since time without end. She
is certainly not an ugly person as her
pictures attest. And we would certain-
ly not agree with her prejudged opin-
ion of herself as the "way to look" for
life.
Admirable as the Congresswoman'sMsTIQUE
K.'? ~
60
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[Barbara Jordan Scrapbook, July - September, 1974], book, 1974; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth616583/m1/51/: accessed May 22, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas Southern University.