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[ music ] [ chorus singing ] >> god bless america, land that i love. stand beside her and guide her. through the night with the light from above. from the mountains, to the prairies, to the oceans white with foam. god bless america, my home sweet home. god bless america, land that i love. stand beside her and guide her through the night with the light from above.
from the mountains to the prairies, to the oceans white with foam. god bless america my home sweet home, from the mountains, to the prairies, to the oceans white with foam. [ applause ] [ pause ] >> my country, 'tis of thee sweet land of liberty, of thee i sing. land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrims' pride, from every mountainside let freedom ring! my native country, thee, land of the noble free, thy name i love. i love thy rocks and rills, thy woods and templed hills. my heart with rapture thrills, like that above.
let music swell the breeze, and ring from all the trees, sweet freedom's song. let mortal tongues awake; let all that breathe partake; let rocks their silence break, the sound prolong. our fathers' god, to thee, author of liberty, to thee we sing. long may our land be bright with freedom's holy light; protect us by thy might, great god, our king. protect us by thy might, great god our king. [ crowd noise ] [ singing ] >> we shall overcome, we shall overcome. we shall overcome some day.
deep in my heart, i do believe, we shall overcome some day. >> we shall overcome. we shall overcome. deep in my heart, i do believe, we shall, we shall, we shall, we shall, we shall, we shall, we shall, we shall, we shall overcome some day. we'll walk hand in hand. we'll walk hand in hand some day. deep in my heart, i do believe. we shall, we shall, we shall, we shall, we shall, we shall, we shall, we shall, we shall overcome some day. the lord will see us through.
the lord will see us through some day. we shall, we shall, we shall, we shall, we shall, we shall, we shall, we shall, we shall, we shall, we shall, we shall, we shall, we shall, we shall, we shall, we shall, we shall, we shall, we shall, we shall, we shall, we shall, we shall, we shall overcome someday. >> this little light of mine, i'm going to let it shine. this little light of mine, i'm going to let it shine. let it shine, let it shine, let it shine. ev'ry where i go, i'm going to let it shine. jesus gave it to me, i'm going to let it shine. shine, shine, shine.
i'm going to let it shine. [ clapping ] >> he's got the whole world in his hands. he's got the whole world in his hands. he's got the whole world in his hands! he's got you and me brother in his hands. he's got you and me sister in his hands. he's got the little bitty baby in his hands. >> life is a ball game, bein' played each day.
life is a ball game, everybody can play. yes you know, jesus is standing at home plate. he is waiting for you there. life is a ball game, but you've got to play it fair. first base is temptation. you know the second base is sin. the third base is tribulation. if you pass, you can make it in. ol' man solomon is the umpire and satan is pitchin' the game.
and he will try his best to strike you out, but keep playin' just the same. daniel is up to bat first. you know, he prayed three times a day. and satan threw him a fastball but he hit it anyway. hey, and job is up to bat next. satan struck him in every way. but job, he hit a home run and he came on in that day. don't you know prayer is a strong bat to hit at satan's ball. and when he throws the fastball, you got to hit it with your all and all.
yes you know faith is your catcher and on him you can depend, 'cause jesus is standing at home plate and he is waiting for you to come in. life is a ball game and being played each day. life is a ball game and everybody can play. yes you know, jesus is standing at home plate and he is waiting for you there. life is a ball game but you got to play it fair. [ music: the promised land ] [ music: when the saints go marching in ] >> ladies and gentlemen, please rise for the national anthem. dera barlow
>> please be seated. good afternoon! my name is dera barlow and i'm a member of orange jackets. it has been my honor to serve as 2008-2009 co-chair of the barbara jordan statue project committee. it is my pleasure to serve as your hostess for today. >> i'm joined today by my fellow co-chair, ashley hickson, wave ashley. and she's a senior majoring in management in the mccombs school of business. ashley is also of a member of delta sigma theta sorority, incorporated. and for those of you who may not know, barbara jordan is also a member of this elite sorority.
[applause] on behalf of the members of the statue project committee and the university of texas at austin, we welcome you to the unveiling and dedication of the barbara jordan statue. barbara jordan was a remarkable individual, a woman who is known for being the first in many categories. for me, she truly has been an inspiration. she was a profound woman who refused to let any obstacle get in the way of following her passion. she was a powerful orator and an esteemed public official, and a dynamic teacher. but she was also someone who enjoyed attending lady longhorn games, laughing, telling stories, singing, playing her guitar, and spending time with her friends. over the next hour you will hear her story and what has led to this historic occasion for another barbara jordan first - to become the first woman ever honored on a ut campus with a statue.
>> on this occasion, it is important to thank the many individuals who helped to make the statue a reality. another one of my personal heroes, hillary clinton, wrote a book called "it takes a village". although the book reflects on a different topic, mrs. clinton could have easily been describing the barbara jordan statue project. more than 200 individuals joined the thousands of ut students that supported this project financially. many are acknowledged in the official program. present with us today are some of the individuals who helped the statue project financially and provided incredible moral support. as i call your names, i ask you to stand and to remain standing. please hold your applause until all have been introduced. first, ada anderson, the honorable ben barnes and melanie barnes, deann friedholm, reverend zan holmes, junior, lowell lebermann, and ambassador stan mclelland.
thank you. >> several organizations also provided considerable support. from the alice kleberg reynolds foundation is katherine chula reynolds. >> from texas parents, lisa sparks. >> from the university co-op are george mitchell and sanchir enkhbaatar. >> representing the university federal credit union is rhonda summerbell. >> and from vinson & elkins llp is michael marin. >> we're also grateful to walmart for monetary and in-kind contributions. >> i would also like to recognize all the members of delta sigma theta sorority, incorporated.
i ask that you all stand to be recognized for your generous support of the project. >> i'd like to ask mr. william hilgers to please stand. mr. hilgers is here representing the estate of barbara jordan. and thanks to you and to the estate for your support for being here. >> additional contributions toward the project were provided by the office of the president, the vice president for diversity and community engagement, and the vice president for student affairs. >> every village has leaders and we're thrilled to have several representatives of the city, state, and federal government present with us today. thank you for your leadership and service. >> on campus, this project has received support from the board of regents, the central administration and a long list of leaders.
there are few key leaders who worked very closely with the project. i would like to ask them to stand so we could show our appreciation. also please hold your applause until all have been introduced. dr. james vick. dr. vick was vice president for student affairs at the beginning of this endeavor. dr. juan c. gonzalez, he has been a strong advocate of the project since his first day as the current vice president for student affairs. dr. gregory vincent. dr. vincent is the vice president for diversity and community engagement and has provided valuable support for the project. dr. sherri sanders.
>> dr. sanders is the former associate dean of students and current deputy to the vice-president for diversity and community engagement. she has served as a dedicated and gracious project director of this effort for the past seven years. >> thanks to all of you. without your vision, leadership and support, we would not be enjoying this incredible occasion. >> it would also not be possible to actually have a statue dedication without a statue. over the past years, i've learned it takes a village to mold and cast a statue and place it on solid footing. i'd like to introduce a team that created the remarkable sculpture and a fabulous space in which the statue now reside. please stand as i call your name. it is a true honor to have bruce wolfe, the artist and sculptor of the barbara jordan statue present with us today.
>> bruce is joined by his assistant george hampton. >> and these two men have crafted every hair on barbara jordan's head, and as you will see light into her eyes and the brightness into her face. thank you both for your vision and your artistry. >> this battle oaks area is one of the most beautiful on campus. adding to such a landscape requires artistry, skill, and careful detail to treat these amazing trees with tender loving care. brian larson is the landscape architect who working with dennis duff from ut's project management and construction services, created a new home for the statue. gentlemen, please stand, oh, you are standing. so we can recognize you for creating this beautiful environment. >> we're also honored to have ms. rose mary mcgowan, barbara jordan's sister present with us today.
please stand. >> i'd like to recognize her along with other members of barbara jordan's family and the extended family and friends who are present. >> thank you all for being here. the barbara jordan statue project was an idea of a group of students who thought that real women should be represented in statuary figures on campus. they're known as the 2002 tappee class of orange jackets, a service organization with a long history of giving to this university. today, several members of the original group are here. please stand and be recognized. >> thank you. since 2002, other students along with faculty, staff, and alumni who served as a part of the barbara jordan statue project committee have held
that torch high and brought us here to where we are today. i would like to ask all current and former members of the committee to please stand and be recognized. >> i told you there are a lot of people to thank today. but isn't it exciting to be a part of such an amazing village and community. one of the great lasting gifts barbara jordan gave to us are her words. she is frequently quoted by poets and presidents alike. as you can see on each side of the statue, the stone tablets known as the stelae, on which are written some of her most famous and powerful statements. in tribute, we have built today's program around those words and others she spoke throughout her lifetime. our first speaker today is dr. gregory j. vincent, vice president for diversity and community engagement.
barbara jordan taught us that being engaged in the community was essential for making the american dream a reality for all. she once said, "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 finally be closed." as vice president for diversity and community engagement, dr. vincent helps to keep that positive vision alive on our campus with great passion and conviction. please welcome, dr. gregory j. vincent. gregory j. vincent >> it is my honor to speak before you today, the day that we are honoring the incredible barbara jordan. as a young person growing up in the watergate era, barbara jordan represented to me an outstanding american citizen who restored my faith in government and democracy. the very fabric and working of our government was in question because of that scandal. jordan's presence on the watergate committee sent a powerful message that indeed our government works in both theory and practice.
she did not stoop to petty politics as was clear during the watergate hearings when she served on the house judiciary committee and gave her riveting speech. charlie rangel, a fellow committee member, remembered that often during the investigations, her questions did not always center on whether president nixon had committed wrong doings but on whether the house of representatives were distorting the constitution in order to achieve a political goal. in that case, as always, it was rational thought, her integrity, her moral clarity, and the constitution that guided her. these traits combined with her effective oratory skills have made her a role model for many young law students throughout the years including me. and she will no doubt influence generations of law students to come. i think barbara jordan would be pleased if she were alive today, not just because we are honoring her with the statue, but because this university is working toward that positive vision of the future that she talked about-that vision that the promise of america would indeed become our reality. we have made great strides on this campus during the 13 years since barbara jordan's passing.
currently, with 91 tenure and tenure track african american faculty members, the university of texas ranks among leaders of its kind with regard to the number of faculty. these past two years, we have hired 20 new african american faculty. our numbers of latino, african american, asian american students are rising every year. these accomplishments in diversity can be attributed to william c. powers. diversity is one of president powers' four strategic priorities for the university. by creating the division of diversity and community engagement, he has created a model for other universities to follow. the classrooms, the faculty, the staff of this university are beginning to mirror the population of the state and the nation as a whole. through numerous community engagement efforts, we are reaching out, connecting intellectual resources of this university to people across the state of texas, helping to serve communities around the state.
through our university outreach centers, we are working to prepare young students especially those who are first in their families to attend college, those from low income families, and those who attend underrepresented schools to meet the academic challenges needed to enter institutions of higher learning like the university of texas at austin. >> yes, barbara jordan would be pleased that the university she loved, the students she loved are honoring her by reaching out to make a promise of america a reality. it is a privilege to work at such an institution. thank you all for being here with us today on this great occasion. and thanks especially to dr. sherri sanders, my friend and colleague to her dedication to this project for the past seven years, making the dream of this statue honoring barbara jordan a reality. >> thank you dr. vincent for your words and ongoing support of the project.
one of the quotes by barbara jordan that's etched into the stone behind me states, "we believe that the people are the source of all governmental power; that the authority of the people is to be extended, not restricted." during the spring semester of '03, members of orange jackets joined the leadership of the cesar chavez statue project and student government to pass a student referendum to create statues of barbara jordan and cesar chavez on statue on campus. seeking an extension of the movement through state government seemed only natural. during the 78th session, the texas house of representatives and texas senate passed house bill 1537 supporting the referendum. leading the way at the texas state capital were two key legislators, representative dawnna dukes and senator gonzalo barrientos. we're delighted that both are present today to share a few words. please help me welcome them to the lectern.
first, former senator barrientos who will be followed by representative dawnna dukes. gonzalo barrientos >> thank you ms. barlow, president powers, my colleague from the house of representatives dawnna dukes, elected officials, ladies and gentlemen, distinguished guests, my fellow texans, friends, and family of barbara jordan. barbara jordan was my friend and my mentor. i remember fondly when she agreed to come to university of oklahoma to deliver a talk to our then trainees, volunteers in service to america with vista peace corps. she was that kind of an american. it was my honor along with my colleague in the house representative dukes to pass through the senate something to remember these great men and woman for, to honor martin luther king, cesar chavez, and of course my friend barbara jordan.
never fear, i shall not filibuster [laughter] but i believe that my friend barbara jordan would agree to these words by a man named william boetcker. this is something to follow for elected officials and men and women in offices of responsibility. "it is better to displease the people by doing what you know is right, than to temporarily please them by doing what you know is wrong." god bless america and the people who are here for barbara jordan. dawnna dukes >> good afternoon. i bring you greetings from the great state of texas and the texas house of representatives. i am absolutely thrilled to be here today. although the legislature is in session right now, there is no better place to be but here for the unveiling of the barbara jordan statue.
in 2003, i was proud to author house bill 1537 with my colleague senator barrientos for the barbara jordan and cesar chavez statue fees and scholarship programs. there were many who worked very hard to make this possible, not only senator barrientos but also the ut student association and thousands of students and individuals who were personal friends of barbara jordan or knew of her, and just believe that this woman was indeed worthy of having a place permanently at the university of texas. barbara jordan's legacy has been an inspiration to me as a legislator. not only was she a trailblazer but she was a passionate champion for low income individuals, the disadvantaged, and people of color. i can recall when i was 10 years old, sitting in my parents' bedroom watching this black and white television, and there was this woman sitting at a table with this voice that i thought mimicked the voice of god. and she was talking about this man and she was so very, very serious. i had never seen an african american, and an african american female for that matter on the television in such an important role.
i'll never forget that day and what it did to me in choosing what i wanted to do and where i wanted to be. in 1976, when barbara jordan delivered her speech to the democratic national convention, the entire focus of that speech was about what she lived her life for and what she challenged government and politicians to do. she had one simple question. that question was, "who will speak for the common good?" that is what she did. that is what she required of all in government, in the media, and education. and i think today, that we can say that the common good will be served by having a statue of a person who not only walked the walk but talked the talk and will be a statue to the stature of a great person.
thank you for what you have done for barbara jordan. [applause] and thank you to the barbara jordan family for allowing us to share her all these years. >> lift every voice and sing, till earth and heaven ring. ring with the harmonies of liberty. let our rejoicing rise, high as the listening skies. let it resound loud as the rolling sea. loud as the rolling sea. oh, sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us. sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us.
now facing the rising sun of our new day begun. let us march on till victory is won, is won. till victory is won, is won, till victory is won. >> thank you innervisions gospel choir for that wonderful song. in november of 1993, while speaking to a group of administrators from the university and ut system, barbara jordan said, "your jobs are difficult. you represent an institution that is expected to do the impossible every day. we are to be austere at all times when the knowledge we are to disseminate is expanding exponentially. we are expected to foster a happy cohesive community among thousands of young people who have never seen each other before their first day on campus. well, the jobs we do are jobs worth doing."
our next speaker dr. juan c. gonzalez is vice president for student affairs and knows well the challenges barbara jordan described. he's a true champion of student issues on campus and provides wise counseling and guidance for student leadership. i think dr. gonzalez might add to this that his job is not only a job worth doing but one that he enjoys doing. please welcome, dr. juan c. gonzalez. juan c. gonzalez >>ms. barlow, thank you very much. thank you for that wonderful quote. >> indeed, no one said it better or perhaps more powerfully than barbara jordan. yes, our jobs can be very difficult but they are worth doing.
they are worth doing for the simple fact that we believe in every single student, regardless of background, has the opportunity and the potential to become a great leader just like barbara jordan. she once said that she had faith in young people because their strongest emotions are love, caring, belief, and tolerance. i submit to you. we work with our students and they have enviable jobs-- we have enviable jobs because they are always refreshed by their new ideas, by their new optimism and the hope that comes with the possibility of every freshman class. i have often said that the fountain of youth is found working with hopeful optimistic college students. barbara jordan discovered the fountain of youth. when she battled prejudice, she was youthful in her vigor to fight for what was right and when she was challenged with illness she nevertheless stood strong and firm as one
of our university's greatest scholars and one of our country's finest leaders. when she started here at texas, at ut, she was truly changed-- she truly did change the world. and even though she is no longer physically with us, her work and her example, her very spirit continues the important work here at this university. this statue is a tribute to her and her powerful belief in our youth. so yes, our job is worth doing. indeed, it is a precious and rare opportunity to follow in barbara jordan's example. to inspire students as they in turn inspire us. she never lost sight. she never sought recognition.
in fact, she was typically humbled by any praise. she simply sought justice for all, justicia para todos. barbara jordan is one of our own. we are so very grateful and so very proud. this wonderful statue is our noble obligation. i repeat. it is our noble obligation to never forget barbara jordan and the responsibility, our responsibility to serve society. i now have the honor to introduce two exemplary young leaders who truly are the next generation of our state. first, keshav rajagopalan, who served as the '08-'09 student body president. keshav has been a strong leader on our campus and let me suggest to you a leader at the capital.
this very morning he was there lobbying on our behalf. keshav's remarks will be followed by joyce jurado. joyce is currently the campus director for citizen schools in austin. while a student at ut, joyce was a member of the '02 orange jackets tappee class which gave birth to this dream of having a statue on our campus with barbara. please join me in welcoming these talented young leaders to the podium. first, keshav. keshav rajagopalan >> thank you dr. g. good afternoon. it is truly an honor to be before you today to celebrate this historic occasion on our campus and in our state.
as i was thinking about what to say, i found myself looking up memorable quotes from congresswoman jordan. and there is one that especially stood out to me, a quote that exemplifies our student body and even more so the students that came before us and the current students who made this statue and this tribute possible. the quote from ms. jordan goes like this, "it is a privilege to serve people. a privilege that must be earned, and once earned there is an obligation to do something good with it." as you think about the students here at the university of texas, they are all people who are looking to earn that privilege of service, that privilege of leadership. they are all people who are transformed while they're on the 40 acres and then they're going to look out and change the world. ms. jordan said, "they are obligated to go out and do it, to be and make that good in the world." and now, daily as students pass by the battle oaks and see this beautiful likeness of the congresswoman, they will be reminded of her service to her fellow human beings,
a service she earned and a service she did something good with. and as students are reminded for generations to come, they will realize the example they must strive to live up to in the service of their fellow human beings, an example that congresswoman barbara jordan set with a high bar. so as much as this statue is a tribute to a great woman, it is a charge to every student at the university for leadership and service. thank you, hook 'em horns. [ laughter ] joycelyn jurado >> between you and me, i did this project, because number one, i wanted an orange vest. and number two, i wanted to be on campus and hear, let's meet for lunch at the barbara jordan statue.
in the fall of 2002, new members of the orange jackets class came together to serve the university, an idea we shared, a statue of a woman on campus. many paved the way for us as women on campus but it was barbara jordan's legacy as a scholar, leader, and servant on a university, state, and national level that really spoke to us. she was relevant, tangible, phenomenal. twenty-five of us gathered on an apartment floor and decided to bring on campus a statue of barbara jordan. the floor led to a couch. i was sent to sherri sanders, then our oj advisor to see about the feasibility of the statue. her eyes grew big when i pitched the idea, then she sat me on her couch and she listened and she believed me. thank you sherri for your heartfelt devotion and tireless efforts from the very beginning.
"i will not let you down," she said. she promised us. "i look forward to the day when you all return for the dedication." a floor, a couch, a promise to action. that was pretty much the general cycle of the beginnings of the barbara jordan statue. as a class we argued the need and significance of the statue on the floor of our student government to pass a referendum to raise student fees. the union provided the couch space to weave our testimony for the texas house higher education committee and the senate committee on education. we established the barbara jordan statue committee and new orange jackets promised to carry the project forward. and each time they grew, the size of the floor, the space on the couches, the reach of the promise.
seven years later, names, dates, and places across time and space add another verse in the history of this campus. it was my privilege to be at the beginning when we dreamed of this dedication and here you are today. so in a way, you are also at the beginning. the lasting impact is the collaboration. the barbara jordan statue project does not belong to me, does not belong to the few that were in my class or who worked on the committee. she belongs to all of us. in a box on my floor, i keep that orange vest, and i spend most sunday afternoons on my couch talking to my best friends from the tappee class of 2002. and so as my promise to action, you, me, sherri, let's meet for lunch at the barbara jordan statue. >> this land is your land, this land is my land, from california, to the new york island, from the redwood forest, to the gulf stream waters.
this land was made for you and me. as i was walking that ribbon of highway, i saw above me that endless skyway, i saw below me that golden valley. this land is your land, this land is my land, from california, to the new york island, from the redwood forest, to the gulf stream waters. i've roamed and rambled and i've followed my footsteps to the sparkling sands of her diamond deserts. and all around me a voice was sounding this land was made for you and me. the sun comes shining as i am strolling. the wheat fields waving and the dust clouds rolling. as the fog was lifting a voice come chanting this land was made for you and me. >> thank you longhorn singers for that awesome song.
as you may guess, the songs you have heard today were some of barbara jordan's favorites. in the 1986 article in parade magazine entitled "where is barbara jordan today?", then professor jordan spoke of her life on this campus and her love for teaching. she stated, "i find teaching extraordinarily satisfying. i realize that probably through my entire political career i was training for this. i'm teaching young people who will move into local, state, and federal positions of power. it is a remarkable opportunity to have an impact on the generations that will succeed me". clearly, barbara jordan had a vision and a dream for future generations. as a faculty member at ut, she built that dream student by student. it's only fitting then that exemplary members of ut's faculty are participating in our program today: first, franchelle dorn, the virginia l. murchison regents professor
in theatre and dance and a member of the university's academy of distinguished teachers. professor dorn is a recipient of the college of fine arts award for excellence in teaching. and she will read the beloved poem by langston hughes, "i dream a world". following the reading, dr. darlene grant, associate dean of graduate studies and associate professor in the school of social work will lead us all in singing "america the beautiful". on this occasion, it is fitting to mention that dr. grant was the 2007 recipient of american association for affirmative action's rosa parks award. please help me welcome these two outstanding faculty members, first professor dorn and then professor grant. fran dorn >> thank you very much.
i'm honored to be here. "i dream a world" by langston hughes. i dream a world where man no other man will scorn, where love will bless the earth and peace its paths adorn. i dream a world where all will know sweet freedom's way, where greed no longer saps the soul nor avarice blights our day. a world i dream where black or white, whatever race you be, will share the bounties of the earth and every man is free, where wretchedness will hang its head and joy, like a pearl, attends the needs of all mankind-- of such i dream, my world! darlene grant i understand that singing together with friends was one of barbara jordan's favorite things to do. can you imagine what an honor we have today to stand together and sing "america the beautiful" to celebrate this amazing individual?
please stand and join me and our wonderful trombone choir in singing. if you need the words, they can be found on the last page of your program. >> o beautiful for spacious skies, for amber waves of grain, for purple mountain majesties above the fruited plain. america! america! god shed his grace on thee, and crown thy good with brotherhood, from sea to shining sea. o beautiful for patriot dreams that sees beyond the years, thine alabaster cities gleam, undimmed by human tears. >> thank you, you may be seated. >> thank you dr. grant, i love hearing you sing. barbara jordan once said, "a sprit of harmony will survive in america only if each of us remembers, when self-interest
and bitterness seem to prevail, that we share a common destiny." a part of our common destiny is texas and this university. but the dream and the destiny of so many who were touched by the life of barbara jordan extends far beyond this space. we're privileged to have anna deavere smith, professor of performance studies at the tisch school of the arts at new york university as our next speaker. she's an accomplished actress and inspiring teacher. she's also the founding director of the institute on the arts and civic dialogue based at nyu. the institute is dedicated to creating a community of artists, social entrepreneurs, humanitarians, and human rights workers who use their diverse talents and expertise to solve some of the world's most pressing problems. ms. smith, it sounds like the type of shared experience that barbara jordan would be very happy about.
please welcome, ms. anna deavere smith. ana deavere smith >> congratulations to the orange jackets. i'm sure president powers must be very, very proud, and also congratulations to you bruce wolfe. it's no small thing to have one's work done and put in such a beautiful atmosphere as this. when i was in acting school way back in the dark ages in 1975, in fact professor dorn was at the same place as a much more accomplished actor than i, i was still struggling with my classical training learning to say, ts and ds in the right way. making my way through shakespeare, i happen to walk, be walking to school early in the morning in the fog of san francisco. and, you know, how you see things out of the corner of your eye, i kind of walked by an old fashion news machine.
and i thought did i see what i thought i saw. and i backed up and it was barbara jordan on the cover of the wall street journal. i'm sure she must have been one of the first black women to ever be etched on the cover of the wall street journal and even as we have an african american president, i'm not so sure how many african american women have found themselves on the face of that journal. barbara jordan was a lynch pin to a very important part of my development as an actress. i had thrown myself in every possible aspect of my classical training. i spent every waking minute doing what i was told, speaking tongue twisters to try to smooth out the edges of my negro-baltimore accent, combing through the texts of shakespeare to understand its meaning, looking through the oxford english dictionary, even becoming an episcopalian to try to understand the [laughter] church of england and the shakespearean world picture a little bit better.
and on the other end of that spectrum, i was listening to jazz and singers like nina simone to hear how rhythms itself-- how rhythm itself created meaning, listening to recordings of great speeches. even in other languages, going over to oakland to listen to whatever grassroots organizers had survived the post-60's cleanup so that i could hear how language worked as a form of influence. and in the midst of that, in one of my early years at that school in san francisco in '74, i heard as much of the nation did and as much as you did jordan's thundering speech on the articles of impeachment. and even as i felt like a rather alienated african american in my predominantly white environment, the first paragraph of her speech had been shocking to me. you recall it. "earlier today", she said, "we heard the beginning of the preamble to the constitution of the united states.
'we, the people.' it's a very eloquent beginning. but when the document was completed in 1787, i was not included in that 'we the people'." wow! she had the nerve, barbara jordan had the nerve to declare her separateness. and then she turned it all around by declaring her belief in the constitution. she said, "my faith in the constitution is whole, it is complete, it is total." wow. she declared not only her togetherness but also her place, her responsibility, her part in the continued health of the foundation. and the student initiative to make this happen is a part of that very declaration of responsibility. what barbara jordan made more real for me than any class, any production, any actor, any playwright was the power of the word.
the power of the word to make a difference, yet she was on the world stage. i suddenly understood the limitations of the theater. and having watched her extraordinary performance on the world stage, for the next 30 years, i would be trying to create theater that attempted to bring the power of real speech back into the theater. years later, i would show a dvd of jordan's speech during the nixon impeachment hearings to my students at stanford university. i was very excited to share it with them. but just as the dvd began, i became anxious. would it seem irrelevant, would they be distracted? it all seemed antique.
there were shots of people with their '70s hairstyles sitting in the chamber actually smoking cigarettes. [laughter] i moved to the back of the room and i sat in the windowsill, i was suddenly intimidated and watched the backs of the bodies of my students with my heart beating. what if this bedrock moment in my work was meaningless to them? and at the end, there was a resounding, wow! i defer to my students. only one utterance is appropriate when it comes to barbara jordan, "wow!" well, let me say that for you again [laughter], one of the many things that happened when i watched that historic moment in '74 was it awakened a part of my past. in fact i realized that my negro-baltimore upbringing had a lot to offer my classical acting training. the incredible oratory of the black church was a form of classical drama.
and then too those trusted no nonsense women negro teachers had spent hours on something call "enunciation". the deltas know what i'm talking about. [laughter] jordan was the exemplar of enunciation. so let me not leave you with a half spoken, "wow", in referring to the lance armstrong of public speaking. let me leave you with an enunciated, "wow!" [ laughter and applause ] >> well, wow to ms. smith. thank you for that. i feel incredibly lucky to be where we are today, in austin, texas at the university of texas at austin, sharing this incredible experience with all of you.
one of the great barbara jordan quotes on the stone behind me came from a book entitled, "i dream a world: portraits of black women who changed america". it was compiled by barbara summers and published in 1989 with a foreword by maya angelou. although the book is about change in america, barbara jordan talks about the power of this place, texas. she states, "texas is more than a place. it is a frame of mind. a texan believes that the individual is powerful. i get from the soil and the spirit of texas that i, as an individual, can accomplish whatever i want to and that there are no limits, that you can just keep going, keep soaring. i like that spirit." some may think ms. jordan was only referring to the state of texas.
but i like to think she's also talking about ut austin. ladies and gentleman, please welcome william powers, junior, president of the university of texas at austin. president powers. william powers, jr >> well thank you dera. good afternoon. good afternoon and welcome. welcome to our campus and welcome to this great and historic occasion. and this is a great day.
it's a great day for our university. it's a great day for texas. and it is a great day because today, the day has come, indeed right now the moment has come, the day and the moment when we dedicate a statue on our campus to barbara jordan. barbara jordan, a great texan, a great american, a great human. barbara jordan, a distinguished public servant, a distinguished scholar and educator, a courageous leader who struck down barriers of race and gender. barbara jordan, a woman from texas who mesmerized the nation with her eloquent oratory, her skillful interpretation of us history and constitutional law, and a rigorous devotion to ethical standards in politics, in society, and in life. now we on this campus and many people in this audience were privileged to know her, and we were privileged to know her as a professor at the lbj school of public affairs. and our university will forever be known as a place where barbara jordan, taught for the last 17 years of her life.
at ut, we often say, "we change people and then they change the world." and so barbara jordan had a student who once said of her, "i've never met a person who believes so strongly that we can actually change the world, and that gives me the confidence that we really can." barbara jordan was truly of the soil and spirit of texas. she refused to be hindered by bigotry and by hate. she refused to be left out. when she lifted that magnificent voice, she soared. her spirit lives with us on our campus. and tonight, tonight our tower will glow orange in honor of barbara jordan.
>> and so this is a great day for our campus and for texas. in 1986, barbara jordan gave the ut commencement address and she titled it "conviction values". >> her challenge to those students more than 20 years ago, rings true to all of us who are gathered here today, and perhaps the best way we can honor her as we dedicate this wonderful statue in her honor is to listen to her eloquent words as she spoke them then and as we now dedicate this statue as a powerful and immediate reminder of her continuing and permanent presence on our campus. [ background music ] barbara jordan [ recorded ] >> perhaps i thought that many of you would feel that the academy academe is not a place to talk about values.
and maybe that's why i've chosen to speak about values because the subject has been taken for granted and thus perhaps ignored, yet we apparently need to be reminded of what lies behind the facts, the figures, the numbers, the words, the lessons which we call education. so, i call what i am going to say "conviction values". the values which i have in mind should be universally agreed upon. why? because they're good, because they're civilizing, because they inure to the public interest and the common good. the values i'm talking about include education, kindness, justice, and responsibility. education is a value, at once general and specific. it is important that education in this state be seen as salient, even if we need to try some things which appear to be politically wrong. we still ought to try them.
a conviction value which attaches to the person, the individual rather than the state, is kindness, to be contrasted with meanness and cruelty. it is mean and cruel for anyone to be hungry and homeless in our midst. may we all live our lives in such a way that kindness is an enduring and actualized trait from one day to the next. the value of justice ranks very high in the hierarchy of conviction values. justice is fairness. each and every one of us should be treated fairly and treat others likewise, that fact should brook no opposition. responsibility. responsibility is a value which is both overriding and undergirding. rights and duties move in both directions notwithstanding the nature of the relationship.
if that relationship is teacher-student, government-citizen, parent-child, each relationship is rife with reciprocal rights and duties, and failure to honor them is disruptive of the relationship. our lives proceed apace without self-created disruption, if justice and fairness have been assured. this listing of what i call "conviction values" is not exhaustive. i'm going to leave it up to you. fill out the list as you proceed to live your life. >> the ancient hebrews wrote, "what doth the lord require of thee but to do justly, love mercy and walk humbly with thy god." in the vernacular, we could say what does civilization require of you? love learning, be kind, do justly, act responsibly.
>> all we've been given by those who came before, the dream of a nation where freedom would endure. the work and prayers of centuries have brought us to this day. what will be our legacy? what will our children say? let them say of me, i was one who believed in sharing the blessings that i received. let them know in my heart i will always be true. america, america, i gave my best to you. >> each generation from the plains to distant shore with the gifts that they were given were determined to leave more. valiant battles fought together, acts of conscience fought alone.
these are the seeds from which america has grown. let them know in my heart when my days are through. >> for those who think they have nothing to share, they fear in their hearts there is no hero there. though through quiet acts of dignity that shall fortify the soul of this nation that shall never die. let them say of me, i was one who believed in sharing the blessings i received. america, america, america, america, america, america, i gave my best to you. [ footsteps ] >> i hope i can focus now, hope i can still see my script. in a 1971 reception honoring then texas state senator barbara jordan, president lyndon b. johnson proclaimed, "i'm pleased to honor barbara jordan who proved
that 'black is beautiful' even before we knew what it meant, who proved the power of women in politics before any of us had ever heard of women's liberation, who proved we can overcome. i don't know where her future is going to take her but i'll make these two statements. wherever she goes, she'll be at the top, and wherever she goes, we'll be right behind her." when barbara jordan retired from politics, she returned to austin as the lyndon baines johnson centennial chair in public affairs at the lbj school of public affairs. she was assigned one of the lbj school's most outstanding students to serve as a teaching assistant, deann friedholm. like many relationships between professors and graduate students, they soon became good friends. since leaving the lbj school, ms. friedholm has held a variety of positions with federal, state, and state government in both the nonprofit and private sectors and all with the common thread of health and human services.
she is currently the health reform director for the consumers union in washington, dc. those who knew and loved barbara jordan, she was a personification of friendship, love, and loyalty. in deann friedholm, the barbara jordan statue project committee found a loyal and devoted friend of barbara jordan who has provided invaluable guidance and insight. please welcome ms. deann friedholm. deann friedholm >> i just keep thinking, rose mary, i'm sure you do too, how barbara would be absolutely loving this day. i'm so sorry that she couldn't be here actually with us but i know that she is here with us in spirit. i just want to start off by saying that i can tell you with absolute confidence, i don't speak for barbara ever but in this case i will, that she would be so pleased. she would be particularly delighted that this is an occasion that is the result of students' actions, first, the orange jackets and the story that we heard before,
and then the coalition of students across the university campus who worked together to make this happen. that would make her very, very happy and i hope that you know that in your heart. i've been asked to talk about what barbara jordan meant to me in 3 minutes, so i think i'm going have to speak very fast. first of all, more than anything else, barbara jordan was a teacher. and whether she was explaining the constitutional crisis brought about by the watergate scandal or rallying the country and her fellow democrats at the national convention speeches or talking to elementary school students at their school, barbara jordan took every event in her life as an opportunity to teach, and what a teacher she was. i met barbara jordan 30 years ago in december of 1978 when she had announced her retirement from congress and elspeth rostow, who was the dean, had made her an offer she could not refuse, which was to teach young future public servants at the lbj school of public affairs.
then i was made an offer that i couldn't refuse which was to get to be her teaching assistant for her first ethics class in the spring of 1979. but i have to confess to you that she was already a hero to me because in high school, this is really true, i used to skip school and drive down from waco, texas to watch the texas legislature and to watch barbara and the texas state senate. and then, like millions of other americans, we saw her at the watergate hearings and also at the democratic convention speech. i will never forget how she made me feel those days. and so you can imagine how thrilled and how scared i was to work closely with her to design that first semester ethics class, and we became friends for the following 17 years. so what was it like to have barbara as a teacher? well first, she was bj to us and it's safe to say that we students held her in high reverence bordering on abject terror. we expected her to be aloof and she was very demanding and sometimes even intimidating.
but we also found a warm, intelligent, and generous colleague. the classes, which had 15 students each, were not really lectures. they were more like vigorous debates. and this is what she wrote in the syllabus for the ethics class. this was what she wrote, "your sense of personal ethics should be formulated in principles readily identified by you, and you should be prepared to defend those principles even when they appear to collide with the practicable, the utilitarian, and or the public will. if your thinking is about your beliefs is fuzzy, it is likely that the quality of your defense will be equally fuzzy. think clearly, argue persuasively, in that order." she loved teaching.
years after i had left her class, i would go out to her house to visit and almost every time find her studying some new text, some new case, something that she was thinking about adding to her class. it never got stale to barbara. the challenge of shaping the future public servants, teaching us to think deeply and carefully about the issues and calling us to our responsibility to go out and to do something about it. she could also be a lot of fun. one day she came into class first semester and called on one of the students, a west texas good old boy and said, what does freedom mean to you? and he sat like a deer in headlights. not sure at all what to say, the rest of us put our heads down and looked down 'cause we were just thanking heavens that she hadn't called on us.
and he sat there for a long time. it seemed like forever and barbara just stared at him. and finally he said, "well bj, i guess freedom is just another word for nothing left to lose." [laughter] i'm telling you we were frozen. we had no idea. she just sat there staring at him and then burst out laughing. [laughter] she loved teaching. as a friend, bj was extraordinarily loyal. she was generous and constant.
most of the happiest times of my life i can say were spent with barbara and friends, many of them are here today, debating the politics of the day, watching football games, the lady longhorns basketball team, laughing over grand stories retold for the nth time, traveling on campaigns for people like ann richards, or to make speeches, or to find a favorite vacation spot. in particular, it was the small gatherings of friends singing and laughing and singing some more sometimes until the early hours of the morning. barbara, throughout the years, faced her illness like every other challenge in her life, with incredible courage. and i can say i never once in all of those years heard her express an ounce of self-pity or of regret, not one single time. i think barbara remains one of the most beloved americans and i want to say, and susan rieff reminded me this last night. she often declared that she was not a hyphenated anything. she was an american because she spoke to the highest good in each of us and all of us.
when you were with her in person or watching her on tv, you knew that you were in the presence of a special spirit. she made you want to be your very best and she showed us how we could be. a great teacher is with you forever, in the beliefs that you hold, in the way that you think things through, in the actions that you take or the actions that you do not take. >> the last birthday card i received from barbara, it had a message to me that i think she would want me to share with each and everyone of you but particularly with the students, and this is what it said. "i hope you never stop fixing the future." >> thank you ms. friedholm for your remarks and the kind support you've shown us throughout the project. when this journey began in 2002, as a tappee and later as orange jackets president, julie wimmer was influential in getting support for the statue. hers was a strong and eloquent voice that laid out the vision for the project.
in a presentation she gave as orange jackets president, she framed her remarks around barbara jordan's quote, "i've never intended to become a run-of-the-mill person." her hope was that the university of texas at austin would be a great home for a statue honoring barbara jordan because our students were not run-of-the-mill students and this was not a run-of-the-mill university. julie is now a first year law student at harvard university, but she returned to austin for the celebration. julie, you were right, this is not a run-of-the-mill place. ladies and gentlemen, please welcome julie wimmer. julie wimmer >> she said she never intended to become a run-of-the-mill person and she didn't. an educator and public servant, she was the first, the first african-american state senator since reconstruction, the first african-american woman from the south to serve
in the us house of representatives, and the first african american texan there, too. after all of this, she returned to ut to teach at the lbj school of public affairs. run-of-the-mill indeed she was not. and so in the fall of 2002, an equally not run-of-the-mill organization made a not run-of-the mill decision. for the new member orange jackets class project, we decided that in the time of escalating discussions about tolerance, inclusion and respect on the ut campus, it was high time that women be represented in public space. high time that the contributions women have made to the campus and state be recognized visually. high time then that the first statue of a named woman grace the 40 acres. but who should that literally groundbreaking woman be?
she needed to be a woman who represented what was great about women, this university, and the state of texas. she needed to have been a first because she was going to be the first. she needed to be as not run-of-the-mill as was the idea to create a statue of her. and so of course, of course, we chose barbara jordan. and now, here she stands joining martin luther king and cesar chavez as products of the extraordinary efforts of students, faculty, staff, friends and alumni from across this campus. a colleague of barbara jordan once said the following about her speeches, "her message united people from vastly different walks of life, bringing them together to stand as one and nod their heads in unison and say, yes, each one of us can make a difference and together we can make this nation stronger." in this project, her message again united people from all corners of this campus from the delta sigma theta sorority to students with disabilities agency, to the gender
and sexuality center and many more to stand as one and say, yes, we can make a difference. we can make this campus better and stronger. so just as we chose barbara jordan not only for what she did but for how she did it, so too do we celebrate today not just what these groups have done but for how they've done it, passionately, doggedly with gusto and with humor for 7 years. for 7 years, barbara jordan was a folder in the inboxes of people all across this campus. for 7 years, the coalition of lives touched by hers worked together to do what longhorns do better than anyone, make not run-of-the-mill visions into not run-of-the-mill realities. thank you for being here today to celebrate what happens when an organization that isn't run-of-the-mill sets out to make a difference that isn't run-of-the-mill on a campus that isn't run-of-the-mill together with a force of individuals and groups whose passion is not run-of-the-mill either, and who better to be that difference
than barbara jordan, who too was anything but run-of-the-mill. >> thank you, ms. wimmer. we would like to recognize and thank the many program participants commemorating today's unveiling and dedication. through the personal stories and remarks you shared with us today, barbara jordan's spirit and passion lives on. we would also like to acknowledge the campus-wide production team and their staff who shared their expertise and time with us, as well as the volunteers who helped serve as today's hosts. i especially want to thank the facilities services and parking and transportation divisions for helping to transform a street corner into a theater for the celebration. >> we invite everyone to now join us for a reception in the texas union ballroom.
volunteers are available to assist with directions. and on behalf of the barbara jordan statue project committee and the university of texas at austin, thank you all for joining us for this celebration of the life and dedication of the statue honoring barbara jordan.
