Austin, TX

Major funding provided by:

Vinson & Elkins LLP

In the spirit of Black History Month (February) and Women’s History Month (March), KUT Radio has produced a one-hour documentary about the life and legacy of Barbara Jordan, the first black woman from the South to serve in the U.S. Congress.

“Rediscovering Barbara Jordan,” was produced in Austin and and is expected to air on more than 100 public radio stations across the country. It features interviews with many of Jordan’s colleagues and contemporaries, including Ben Barnes, former Lt. Governor of Texas; Bill Clinton, former President of the United States; John Doar, Special Counsel for the House Judiciary Committee during Watergate; Dan Rather, former anchor of CBS News; Bob Woodward, The Washington Post; and Ann Richards, former Governor of Texas.

Born in the Fifth Ward of Houston during the days of segregation, Jordan leapt to national prominence as a freshman member of the House Judiciary Committee during the national crisis known as Watergate. At the height of television’s prime time, she delivered a speech that resonated with the whole nation. Jordan’s historic comments began with reference to slavery, and her role as presidential inquisitor. With her words, “My faith in the Constitution is whole, it is complete, it is total, and I am not going to sit here and be an idle spectator to the diminution, the subversion, the destruction of the Constitution,” it soon became apparent that President Nixon would resign. Within two weeks, he did.

It’s been 10 years since Jordan’s death. In this special report, her thoughts, the events that shaped her and the deeds that assured her place in American history, are re-told through her speeches, personal interviews and recorded conversations with her. Many of her friends and contemporaries help tell her story.

Related links:

Visit TxTell, a Web site that chronicles the impact of The University of Texas at Austin on the state of Texas and the world, to view video from Rep. Jordan’s original speech at the Watergate hearings. Other Barbara Jordan videos and audio recordings are available through the Video and the Audio links on TxTell’s Barbara Jordan page.

In 2003, the University of Texas at Austin featured a story about Rep. Jordan on the homepage. Read the feature story.

— KUT Staff