Revisiting Barbara Jordan's political legacy of firsts
Is it possible to be a radical in elected office and still keep your political powder dry? It’s the perpetual conundrum of politics, of how when and why to take a principled stand, and it’s the unstated core ofWhile a native of Houston, the three-time member of Congress became synonymous with Austin from her time here as a member the Texas Legislature, and then her quasi-retirement as a distinguished professor at LBJ School of Public Affairs.
That connection is why, for many visitors to Austin, Jordan's is the first recognizable face they'll see. Landing at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, they'll find themselves in her presence, her essence captured in bronze by sculptor Bruce Wolfe: seated, her fingertips tented, her trademark glare captured. She looks every inch the litigator and lawmaker – which she was, serving in both the Texas and U.S. Houses. That she was a Black woman from the South made her a first in both circumstances, a pattern repeated in a career that saw her become the first Black woman to be a keynote speaker at the Democratic National Convention. This meant she was also often the only Black woman in the room, such as her tenure with the debate club at Texas Southern University – a period that Tucker presents as pivotal in shaping and sharpening her political instincts. That experience arguably gave her that familiar and oddly formal cadence, a sharp overpronunciation that gave her speeches and her cross-examinations an undeniable gravitas. Tucker captures the undeniability of Jordan, whose intellect and zeal took her from Houston’s Fifth Ward to the corridors of power, that transition recounted by familiar faces from Texas politics who arguably owe their own careers to the trail she blazed.also delves deeply into Jordan’s life as a closeted lesbian, and how often the Texas political establishment, both Republicans and Democrats, turned a blind eye. Yet the film also has selective memory, erasing her role in the U.S. Commission on Immigration Reform – aka the Jordan Commission – which she led from 1990 to until her death in 1996. That omission not only creates the impression that she avoided D.C. after testifying against Robert Bork’s Supreme Court nomination, but glosses over how that report’s recommendations on deportations and quotas are now cited by anti-immigration Republicans. Indeed, policy may be the film’s weakest point, as Tucker leans heaviest into Jordan as the self-described inquisitor, asking tough questions during the Watergate hearings, rather than her legislative achievements or her political positions. Little is made of her dedication to being a centrist who publicly and explicitly spoke out against political correctness, equating it in her 1992 DNC keynote with xenophobia and separatism. It’s hard not to feel that if Jordan were taking on the same subject matter as the film, her own cross-examination would have been much more excoriating. Tucker doesn’t give Jordan a complete pass on all of the more convoluted elements of her legacy. Her flair for being one of the boys, even if the boys were of the “good ol’” flavor, was part of how she got anything done, leading to criticisms from both the Black and queer communities and feminists that she could and should have been more outspoken. Her response, which Tucker seems to accept, was that the act of being Black and a woman in the corridors of power was radical enough. In that presentation, Tucker humanizes the icon. After decades of watching the same committee hearing footage, watching the retired Jordan treat guests at a party with a bold rendition of “St. James Infirmary” may tell even the wonkiest of politics wonks a little more about her.has been Austin’s independent news source for over 40 years, expressing the community’s political and environmental concerns and supporting its active cultural scene. Now more than ever, we need your support to continue supplying Austin with independent, free press. If real news is important to you, please consider making a donation of $5, $10 or whatever you can afford, to help keep our journalism on stands.
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