Geburtsdatum | Freitag, 21. Februar 1936 |
Geburtsort | Houston, Texas, U.S. |
Todesort | Austin,_Texas |
Sternzeichen | |
Beschreibung | Barbara Charline Jordan (21. Februar 1936 - 17. Januar 1996) war eine amerikanische Juristin, Pädagogin und Politikerin. Als Demokratin war sie die erste Afroamerikanerin, die nach der Wiedervereinigung in den texanischen Senat gewählt wurde, und die erste afroamerikanische Frau aus den Südstaaten, die in das Repräsentantenhaus der Vereinigten Staaten gewählt wurde. Jordan ist bekannt für ihre wortgewaltige Eröffnungsrede bei den Anhörungen des Justizausschusses des Repräsentantenhauses während des Amtsenthebungsverfahrens gegen Richard Nixon. Im Jahr 1976 war sie die erste Afroamerikanerin und die erste Frau, die jemals eine Grundsatzrede auf einem Parteitag der Demokraten hielt. Neben zahlreichen anderen Ehrungen erhielt sie die Presidential Medal of Freedom. Sie war die erste Afroamerikanerin, die auf dem Texas State Cemetery beigesetzt wurde. Jordan ist auch bekannt für ihre Arbeit als Vorsitzende |
A government is invigorated when each of us is willing to participate in shaping the future of this nation.
What the people want is very simple - they want an America as good as its promise.
We must not become the new puritans and reject our society. We must address and master the future together. It can be done if we restore the belief that we share a sense of national community, that we share a common national endeavor. It can be done.
Throughout out history, when people have looked for new ways to solve their problems, and to uphold the principles of this nation, many times they have turned to political parties. They have often turned to the Democratic Party.
We cannot improve on the system of government handed down to us by the founders of the Republic. There is no way to improve upon that. But what we can do is to find new ways to implement that system and realize our destiny.
We are a people in a quandary about the present. We are a people in search of our future. We are a people in search of a national community.
More is required of public officials than slogans and handshakes and press releases. More is required. We must hold ourselves strictly accountable. We must provide the people with a vision of the future.
For all of its uncertainty, we cannot flee the future.
We are a party of innovation. We do not reject our traditions, but we are willing to adapt to changing circumstances, when change we must. We are willing to suffer the discomfort of change in order to achieve a better future.
Do not call for black power or green power. Call for brain power.
What we have to do is strike a balance between the idea that government should do everything and the idea, the belief, that government ought to do nothing. Strike a balance.
We call ourselves public servants but I'll tell you this: we as public servants must set an example for the rest of the nation. It is hypocritical for the public official to admonish and exhort the people to uphold the common good.
We have a positive vision of the future founded on the belief that the gap between the promise and reality of America can one day be finally closed. We believe that.
