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Home , Barbara Jordan, Lady Bird Johnson, Rosalynn Carter

Barbara , 1936 - , 1996

first African American woman in the State Senate.

Jordan was a Texas senator until she was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1972. In the House, Jordan pushed for laws to improve the lives of minorities and the poor. She sponsored a bill that strengthened the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to cover Mexican Americans in the Southwest. Jordan became known as one of the most talented public speakers of her time. She gained national attention when she gave a speech for the of President in 1974. She also delivered the main address at the 1976 Democratic National Convention.

Barbara Jordan delivered the keynote address at the National Women’s Conference of 1977 in , Texas. Along with U.S. Representative , first ladies , and are pictured below seated on stage.

Barbara Jordan was a U.S. lawyer, educator, and politician. From 1973 to 1979, she served in the U.S. Congress as a representative from Texas. Jordan was the first African American congresswoman to come from the South.

Barbara discovered her speaking skills at a young age and became a high school debate champion. She became a lawyer and realized she wanted to do more than sit behind a desk. She wanted to use her voice.

When Barbara decided to run for political office, she didn’t give up when she lost. After her third run, Barbara won the election and a seat in the Texas State Senate. She was the

205 Market Avenue South | Canton, Ohio 44702 | (330) 452-0876 | firstladies.org Making Connections

Barbara Jordan’s speaking voice was bold, crisp, Barbara didn’t give up when she lost her first and confident. Her voice was a natural gift. What’s election. Can you think of a time when you tried one of your natural gifts? How did you discover to do something and didn’t give up? Learning to that you had it? What are some things that you ride a bike? How did you feel when you finally can do to grow and develop that gift? accomplished your goal?

Pull up one of Barbara Jordan’s speeches on YouTube. What do you notice about the way she speaks? Is she loud or soft? Is she slow or fast? Does she emphasize certain words or phrases?

A Woman’s Place is in the House and Senate

In 2020, 126 women, 105 Democrats and 21 Republicans, held seats in the . That’s 23.6% of the 535 members.

25 women (25%) serve in the U.S. Senate, and 101 women (23.2%) serve in the U.S. House of Representatives.

4 women non-voting delegates (2 Democrats and 2 Republicans) also represent , the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands in the United States House of Representatives.

205 Market Avenue South | Canton, Ohio 44702 | (330) 452-0876 | firstladies.org What is Congress?

Congress is the legislative branch of the federal government that represents the American people and makes the nation’s laws. The laws they create help Americans. For example, they say kids have to go to school, and they help set standards for highway safety. Congress is made up of the House of Representatives and the Senate. Congress shares president, and the judicial branch, whose highest power with the executive branch, led by the body is the Supreme Court of the United States.

Boundary Breaker:

Jeannette Rankin was the first woman to hold 19th Amendment, which recognized women’s federal office in the United States. She was right to vote. Jeannette Rankin advocated for elected to the U.S. House of Representatives as a peace and voted against going to war, causing her Republican from Montana in 1916, before women to lose her seat. She returned to Congress again in even had the right to vote. She helped to pass the 1940.

205 Market Avenue South | Canton, Ohio 44702 | (330) 452-0876 | firstladies.org