Statue immortalizes Barbara Jordan

As Barbara Jordan’s commencement address to UT’s 1986 graduating class blared across Whitis Avenue on Friday for all to hear, sign language interpreter Lucy Brotherton stood in front of the crowd translating the speech for those who couldn’t.

More than 1,000 people blocked traffic on Whitis Avenue and 24th Street to celebrate Jordan’s words and life achievements. The ceremony featured remarks from state legislators and people who knew Jordan personally, as well as music from the Longhorn Singers and the Innervisions Gospel Choir.

The 10-foot-tall statue is the first on campus to commemorate a woman. Jordan was the first black woman to serve in the Texas Senate and the first black woman from the South to sit in the U.S. House of Representatives.

A small group of deaf students and faculty sat in the front row to watch the unveiling of the statue to honor the former U.S. congresswoman known for her oratory skills.

Brotherton, one of two interpreters translating the ceremony, said Jordan would have been pleased that her message was accessible to the deaf.

“Barbara Jordan always championed the cause of diversity,” Brotherton said. “Her words empowered people from all walks of life, and I think she would think it’s terrific that more people get to hear them.”

State Rep. Dawnna Dukes, D-Austin, who co-authored legislation in 2003 that pushed for the statue’s creation, said it was fitting that Jordan should receive this honor.

“When I was 10 years old, I was sitting in my parents’ bedroom watching this black-and-white television,” Dukes said. “I saw [Jordan] sitting at a table, and she was speaking with a voice that I thought mimicked the voice of God.”

Jordan served as a U.S. representative during the Watergate hearings, and after retiring from politics, taught law at UT for 17 years.

University President William Powers delivered the dedication remarks before the statue’s unveiling.

“She was a courageous leader who struck down barriers of race and gender,” Powers said. “She was a great Texan, a great American and a great human.”

3 comments

ROBERT IS A DUMB DUMB, AIN'T GOT THE BRAIN OF A SINGLE FLEA!

Fri May 1 2009 06:19

ROBERT, YOU'RE JUST JEALOUS!

ALM

Mon Apr 27 2009 10:07

Robert--Cesar Chavez was a farm worker was he not? MLK was a clergyman. And for much of her life (17 years), Barbara Jordan was a teacher. I think this statue is just another example of our culture's perception that those who break boundaries, those who open the doors to so many others, those who enact change in our culture such as Martin Luther King, Jr., Cesar Chavez and of course Barbara Jordan, should be honored.

Robert

Mon Apr 27 2009 09:23

Our culture is obsessed with recognizing politicians while ignoring the achievements of scientists, businessmen and entrepreneurs who often have greater influence over societal change for good. This statue is another example of our culture's misguided perception on achievement.

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