Rediscovering Barbara Jordan

More Barbara Jordan: her life and legacy are the subjects of "Rediscovering Barbara Jordan", a 52-minute audio documentary produced by KUT, the public radio station here in Austin. It airs via Public Radio International (PRI) on Sunday morning (2/12) at 11:00 AM on that station, is probably airing on your station sometime soon, too, or is available as an MP3 podcast you can download for free (paid for by listeners like me).

On the evening of July 25, 1974, Barbara Jordan awakened America. For over a year, the nation had been mired in Watergate. The protracted conflict had created a weary uncertainty in the national consciousness, confronted by mounting evidence of presidential misdeeds. That evening in the House chamber, it took only 13 minutes for the black freshman congresswoman with the powerful voice to re-focus the country's will and faith in its Constitution. Within two weeks, President Richard Nixon resigned.

"Rediscovering Barbara Jordan" chronicles the life of this remarkable woman, from her early years growing up in the Jim Crow South, through her election to the Texas Senate, to her ultimate national status as a skilled politician with a steadfast moral compass and a statesman's dignity.

Who was this remarkable person, and how did she learn to meld political cunning with Christian ethics? "Rediscovering Barbara Jordan" answers those questions thoroughly and compassionately, looking at the black church in the South, the unique nature of the Houston ward Jordan represented, the arc of the Civil Rights Movement when she was active in it, and the people whose insight and influence she valued.