A Wonderful Look (a Listen, actually) Back - Barbara Jordan

[Stinky The Clown]

I was posting down thread in mopaul's paen to the members of today's Congressional Black Caucus.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x3887094 In assembling my response, I went out to get some pictures of the great ones. And I came across an audio file of Barbara Jordan's wonderful keynote speech to the 1976 Dem Convention.


Keynote address by Representative Barbara Jordan, Democratic
National Convention, July 12, 1976. Photograph by Warren K.
Leffier; U.S. News & World Report

The hope in her voice, the words she spoke ... so wonderful then. Proud in the best sense of the word. Her distinctive voice and practiced, precise speech patterns took me back to another time. And in listening to the speech, it all seems a world away.

I was touched - struck, really - by how little we seem to have progressed when we compare then to today. Back then we were just recovering from Watergate. Race relations were improving.

Here's a picture of her getting the Medal of Freedom (when it actually meant something) in 2000.


Today we feel even worse than I remember feeling in the darkest days of Watergate. I'm not a person of color, but from my perspective, it appears we've made woefully little progress, really.

Please listen to this.

And let me know what you think of it now. And do you agree we've really moved barely a step or two ... and maybe not even in the right direction?

http://www.americanrhetoric.com/mp3clips/politicalspeeches/barbarajordan1976dnc.mp3

[WatchWhatISay]

1. Do you ever wonder how Texas

can give us Tom Delay, George Bush, Phil Graham, and the like

But also

Barbara Jordan, Molly Ivins, Willie Nelson, Sheila Jackson Lee, Bill Moyers, Ann Richards etc.?

[Stinky The Clown]

2. Like all of America .... one word .....

Purple

The divide is not north/south. It is urban/suburban/rural. Rich/poor. White/of color. Sentient/reactive.

But I get your point! :hi:

(and you forgot Jim Hightower :) )

[FreedomAngel82]

3. With good

always comes a chance at evil.

[tishaLA]

4. I love Barbara Jordan

I remember as a kid being transfixed by Watergate stuff on a documentary--I'm too young to remember it myself--and I had to find out more about Ms. Jordan because she seemed like a force of nature.

[lumpy]

5. Barbara Jordan, an inspiration

for all women everywhere. She was a great stateswoman, honest, with the highest integrity; exibited an unexcelled love of her country.

[Stinky The Clown]

6. A Saturday morning kick

[FrenchieCat]

7. Truly an inspiration!

I'm bookmarking so that my kids can experience this piece of history.

I was watching a special on her on PBS.....and at the time, I was wishing that my girls could be watching it with me.

Thanks you for this excellent "teaching" moment that I can now look forward to.

:hi:

[Stinky The Clown]

8. Listening to that speech these many years later

How sad that we've traveled so little along that road of hope she spoke of.

Your girls, our sons and daughter, all the next generation, are our hope.

And in looking at them, maybe we're further along than I realize. My son is renting a room to a man who's black. One of his guy friends (just a fishing, drinking, go tot he game kinda buddy) is gay. I recall after I first met this guy, I asked my son if he was gay. My son said, "Yeah. So?"

I'm proud of that boy. All three of our kids have that sort of attitude. So maybe my assessment of where we are is off.