Barbara Jordan Achievements

In 1973 Jordan had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. It made her ability to move around hard. She eventually was unable to walk long distances and stairs and had to sit in a wheelchair to get around. Due to her declining health, in 1979, she retired from active politics. She became a professor of law at the University of Texas in Austin and many of her students later became politicians and public officials. In 1980 she wrote a book called “A Self Portrait.” It had a brief summary of her careers and life. In 1991, she became an advisor for Ann Richards who was the Texas Governor at that time. She later suffered from leukemia. Despite her declining health, she chaired the US Commission on Immigration Reform from 1994-1996. She was against making illegal

Even though she was born a poor African American, she worked her way up in life and kept on making a difference in the world even once she was ill. Unlike many other minorities who often focus on feeling bad for themselves and angry at those who have more, Barbara Jordan took one step at a time and put one foot in front of another. I admire how even when she did not win an election she did not give up and tried again and again until she succeeded. She won many awards for her accomplishments. Jordan said “Education remains the key to both economic and political empowerment.” This shows that she felt that education is so important and by trying hard in school, people can take the first step towards fulfilling their dreams. Jordan worked hard to get African Americans more opportunities. As Jordan once said, “Do not call for black power or green power. Call for brain power.” This is further proof that she felt that money and skin color are not factors in how successful someone can become. Barbara Jordan, Getting Things Done is a well-written book and it is clear that the author has a great respect for Barbara