BARBARA JORDAN

BARBARA JORDAN: AMERICAN HERO
By Mary Beth Rogers
Bantam Books, 1998
Paperback, 2000
ISBN 0-553-38066

My sister gave me this book for Christmas, but told me she needed to borrow it as soon as I was through reading it, because it was worth two books in her local book club. I agree- it is worth two or three.

The book is a biography of perhaps the most notable black woman of the twentieth century, Barbara Jordan (1936-1996), for several terms a congresswoman from Texas. Jordan became a national figure when she served on the House Judiciary Committee during the Nixon impeachment hearings.

Rogers provides a biography that is entertaining to read, insightful, and analytical. Rogers and Jordan knew each other, but Rogers freely admits that Jordan was an intensely private person who very few knew very well.

“I worked to come to terms with this remarkable woman who survived the complexities of public life and the realities of racial politics, turning away from the both with surprising contentment. And, of course, as a white woman, I had to come to terms with her blackness, with what it meant to her- and to me.” (p.xviii)

I can remember quite vividly each of the famous speeches of Jordan’s life: the two at the impeachment hearings, and the keynote speeches from the 1976 and 1992 Democratic Conventions. They are memories for me, but this book brought Jordan- and her life- to life.

Rogers begins with a historical irony that Jordan was forever unaware of: her great-grandfather, Edward A. Patton, was the last black to serve in the Texas legislature during reconstruction. His last speech was of sufficient persuasiveness to delay the institution of the poll tax for several decades. Never the less, he was defeated in 1892, shot at by the local sheriff, and in fear for his life, left Texas and his family, never to return. Throughout the book, Rogers does an enlightening job of describing the historical context into which Barbara was born, and the family context in which she was raised.

Of great interest to pastors, beyond the historical elements, is the way that Rogers comes to an understanding of Jordan’s thinking on religion and politics through two theologians: Howard Thurman and Reinhold Niebuhr. Rogers devotes 4 pages in the book to Thurman’s influence, more than any other one person (except perhaps Lyndon Johnson).

“Barbara Jordan also made time during her second year (at Boston University Law School) to attend Sunday Services at marsh Chapel, the religious center of Boston University. She was drawn to its preacher, Howard Thurman, who served as dean of the chapel and as a professor in the Boston University School of Theology. She heard in Thurman’s sermons a way to change how she thought about and experienced religion, a way to free herself from Ben Jordan’s harsh interpretation of the scriptures and his narrow path to living a Christian life.” (p. 68)

In fact, says Rogers, Jordan briefly considered pursuing a degree in theology. Rogers gives a synopsis of Thurman’s career, his association with Martin Luther King, Jr., and then returns to Jordan:

“Jordan was so taken with Thurman’s sermons that she literally preached them to herself. She would take the program from church services back to her dormitory and preach Thurman’s sermons anew to her roommates, ‘whether they wanted to hear them or not. I was making sure I had it all,’ she said. ‘If I could preach it again, I really did have it.’” (p. 71)

Niebuhr appears after Jordan has become a skilled politician, and it is not exactly clear from Rogers’ writing at what point Jordan actually discovered him.

“For Niebuhr, both political and moral realists understood the use of power, and the moral realist was willing to use political power to achieve some human ‘good.’ Jordan had become a Niebuhr-style moral realist, with an understanding that if she wanted to promote human good, then she had to have enough power to operate effectively.” (p.153/154)

There are, in fact, several places in the book where Rogers uses Niebuhr as a way to understand and explain Jordan.

Regarding Jordan, the thing that most amazed me was the almost natural astuteness she had, politically. Jordan served parts of three terms in the Texas Senate, and then three terms in Congress. But almost from the beginning, she was able to figure out ways to be an “effective” legislator. Those who are considering that ways that “outsiders” enter into “inner circles”, as well as those who are simply fascinated with politics, will both find treasure in Rogers’ description of Jordan’s legislative techniques.

Of great interest in the book are those pages that deal with segregation, the African American Church, Barbara’s experiences on her college debate team, and the research that she devoted to various issues (including impeachment). But two other things I found to be especially captivating, and the two are intertwined.

The first is the matter of Jordan’s “voice.” For Rogers, this is not simply a matter of timbre, or even cadence and rhythm. It had also to do with authenticity and passion. Speaking of Jordan’s speech during the impeachment hearings, Rogers writes: “Her passion conveyed the clarity of righteousness and justice.”

Many chapters later, Rogers considers Jordan the person, and writes: “Before Watergate, all she wanted was to be a politician- not a statesman, or a moral leader, or a guardian of government ethics, and certainly not a civil rights leader. After Watergate, Jordan added one more label to describe herself: patriot. She considered the U.S. Constitution her personal charter for freedom.” (p. 324)

By the force of destiny perhaps, Barbara had discovered her core beliefs. And the passion with which she believed them gave power to the voice that expressed them. Rogers book powerfully describes how that larger voice matured in the years after she left Congress.

I remember a great amount of mystery associated with her decision not to seek another term. Rogers’ explains in depth the combination of physical strain caused by multiple sclerosis, and the strain of disillusionment caused by differences with the Carter administration, and the explanation is helpful. But what is enlightening is Rogers’ study of Jordan’s return to private life, and her emergence as a voice of authority as a private citizen. And, Rogers’ develops a definition of patriot that defies old clichés and stereotypes. Having recently read David McCullough’s “John Adams,” Roger’s portrait of the citizen Jordan reminded me, in many ways, of the ideals of citizen Adams.

Quoting Jordan, “There is no reason why a country as large and powerful as we are should not occupy the highest moral position possible in relation to other countries…The core of morality is to do unto others as you would have them do unto you…I believe each individual should have a principled core of his or her being that cannot get negotiated out. That has served me well.” (p. 325/326)

And in our shallow post 911 way of defining patriotism, we ought to consider once again Jordan’s love of the rule of law, her belief in democracy, and her great sense of personal integrity. If we did, I believe they would point us to a much richer, nobler, definition of “patriot.”

George R. Pasley
January 7, 2003