Because I’m busy.
But. Since I was talkin’ about me in the LAST BHFOTD, I’m gonna continue talkin’ ‘bout me:

Yesterday was Seminar Day.
So I spent all of yesterday, taking the guest speaker all over campus to meet various people, which means that I was away from my desk more than I was at it.
And since I don’t learn and STILL refuse to plan these facts out, you didn’t get one.

But never fear! Today is ALSO Seminar Day (more like a half day, really and I didn’t have to do half as much stuff for this dude as I usually do), but I got time.
So let’s talk about the A-hole MD from Brown sommore.
Because he cancelled.
AFTER ALL OF THAT, THAT MOTHER FUNKER CANCELLED.
Y’all know I was furious, right?

My doc was copied on the e-mail, and when he saw me, the first thing he said was “I’M SORRY IT’S NOT MY FAULT”
Because while I don’t ALWAYS speak my mind (because concert tickets are expensive and I can’t go if I get fired from my job)
I feel like I always get my point across.

Kinda like Barbara Jordan, lawyer, educator and politician.

Ms. Jordan was the first African American elected to the Texas Senate after Reconstruction, the first Southern African-American woman elected to the United States House of Representatives. She was best known for her eloquent opening statement at the House Judiciary Committee hearings during the impeachment process against Richard Nixon, and as the first African-American woman to deliver a keynote address at a Democratic National Convention. She received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, among numerous other honors. She was a member of the Peabody Awards Board of Jurors from 1978 to 1980. She was the first African-American woman to be buried in the Texas State Cemetery

Jordan credited a speech she heard in her high school years by Edith S. Sampson with inspiring her to become a lawyer. Because of segregation, she could not attend The University of Texas at Austin and instead chose Texas Southern University (HBCU), majoring in political science and history, and pledging Delta Sigma Theta. She graduated magna cum laude, then attended Boston University School of Law, graduating in 1959.

Jordan taught political science at Tuskegee Institute for a year, then in 1960, she returned to Houston, passed the bar and started a private practice. Jordan campaigned unsuccessfully in 1962 and 1964 for the Texas House of Representatives. She won a seat in the Texas Senate in 1966, then was re-elected to a full term in the Texas Senate in 1968, she served until 1972. She was the first African-American female to serve as president pro tem of the state senate and served one day, June 10, 1972, as acting governor of Texas. To date Jordan is the only African-American woman to serve as governor of a state (excluding lieutenant governors).

In 1972, she was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, the first woman in her own right to represent Texas in the House. She received extensive support from former President Lyndon B. Johnson, who helped her secure a position on the House Judiciary Committee. In 1974, she made an influential televised speech before the House Judiciary Committee supporting the impeachment of President Richard Nixon, Johnson’s successor as President. She delivered a 15-minute televised speech in front of the members of the U.S. House Judiciary Committee that were part of the impeachment process against Richard Nixon. This speech is thought to be one of the best speeches of the 20th century. She defended the checks and balances system, which was set in place to inhibit any politician from abusing their power. :::side eye:::

Jordan never flat out said that she wanted Nixon impeached, but rather subtly and cleverly implied her thoughts. She simply stated facts that proved Nixon to be untrustworthy and heavily involved in illegal situations, and quoted the drafters of the Constitution in order to argue that actions like Nixon’s during the scandal corresponded with their understanding of impeachable offenses . She protested that the Russian hacking scandal will forever ruin the trust American citizens have for their government. Oh, did I say Russian hacking? I definitely meant to say Watergate. Ahem. Maybe I should also fix those links* This powerful and influential statement earned Jordan national praise for her rhetoric, morals, and wisdom.

Jordan supported the Community Reinvestment Act of 1977, legislation that required banks to lend and make services available to underserved poor and minority communities. She supported the renewal of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and expansion of that act to cover language minorities; this extended protection to Hispanics in Texas and was opposed by Texas Governor Dolph Briscoe and Secretary of State Mark White. She also authored an act that ended federal authorization of price fixing by manufacturers. During Jordan’s tenure as a Congresswoman she sponsored or cosponsored over 300 bills or resolutions, several of which are still in effect today as law.

And there you go! Black women being first, so other black women can be next. Because REPRESENTATION MATTERS.

Relatedly. I wanna acknowledge that Barbara had one more first: She would have been the first lesbian known to have been elected to the United States Congress. Although Jordan never publicly acknowledged her sexual orientation, her Houston Chronicle obituary mentioned her longtime companion of more than 20 years, Nancy Earl. Her legacy inspired the Jordan Rustin Coalition, a Los Angeles-based organization dedicated to the empowerment of Black LGBT people and families.

 

*I’m not going to fix those links. Go on and look at them.