Congresswoman Barbara Charline Jordan, born February 21, 1936 , was a lawyer, educator, and politician who was a leader of the Civil Rights Movement.
Jordan was born in Houston. Her childhood was centered on church life. Her mother was Arlyne Patten Jordan, a teacher in the church and her father was Benjamin Jordan, a Baptist preacher. Jordan was the great-granddaughter of Edward Patton, who was one of the last African American members of the Texas House of Representatives before the disenfranchisement of African American Texans under Jim Crow. She was the youngest of three children.
Because of segregation, Jordan could not attend UT Austin and instead chose TSU majoring in Political Science and History. At TSU, she was a national champion debater, defeating opponents from Yale and Brown and tying Harvard University. She graduated magna cum laude. She graduated from the Boston University School of Law.
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