On Juneteenth, don't forget Barbara Jordan
If she were alive, Texan Barbara Jordan would heartily endorse the celebration of Juneteenth, the federal holiday signed into law by President Joe Biden in 2021. The congresswoman has faded into history, but the impact she had on the nation shouldn't be forgotten.
Democrat Jordan, some may recall, landed a primetime television spot to deliver an opening statement on July 25, 1974 during the impeachment hearings of President Richard Nixon because of the Watergate scandal. Also on that House Judiciary Committee debating impeachment counts was Lake County Congressman Robert McClory, a Lake Bluff Republican who has a county bike and walking path dedicated in his name.
Jordan, a freshman congresswoman from Houston, grew up in the segregated Jim Crow era. She had earlier made history as the first African-American woman from a former Confederate state to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives since 1901. She served from 1973 to 1979, eventually stepping down due to health reasons.
Jordan died at the young age of 59 in 1996 and she surely would be all in on Juneteenth. She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1994 by President Bill Clinton.
A few Lake County communities are marking the Juneteenth occasion of June 19, 1865 when the last enslaved people in the U.S., those residing in east Texas, were finally told by Union officers they were free men and women, two years after President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation. For generations, Black Americans celebrated the day amongst themselves, but it is now part of the nation's fabric.
At a time of increasing division and the rolling back of federal diversity, equality and inclusion initiatives by the administration of President Donald Trump, this Juneteenth is a chance to celebrate. Yet, across the U.S., many Juneteenth celebrations have been scaled back due to funding shortfalls as corporations and municipalities across the country reconsider DEI support, according to a report by The Associated Press.
Two events will be held in Lake County, following the College of Lake County's indoor Juneteenth Picnic on June 18 at the Lakeshore Campus in downtown Waukegan.
In Grayslake, 'A Celebration of Freedom Walk' will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. June 19, beginning at the library, traveling through Central Park and ending at the village's Heritage Center and Museum. Lots of activities coincide with the event and the keynote speaker at 6:15 p.m. will be Waukegan Mayor Sam Cunningham.
Also on hand will be the Chicago-based Mobile Museum of Tolerance bus, a self-contained classroom on wheels offering interactive exhibits featuring the struggle for equality during the civil rights movement of the 1960s.
On Saturday, June 21, a Juneteenth Parade and Festival will be held in Waukegan, with the parade stepping off at 1 p.m. The route is along Washington Street, from Jackson Street east to Sheridan Road. Following the parade the festival featuring vendors, food trucks and live music will be held in Waukegan's Downtown on Genesee Street between Madison and Washington streets. Coordinating the event is the African American Museum at England Manor, 503 Genesee St.
It is part of Black history that Congresswoman Jordan's actions during the Watergate probe catapulted her into the national spotlight. Her stentorian oratory skills and command of constitutional law — she received her law degree from Boston University — tabbed her as a rising star in the Democratic Party.
She was mentioned as a possible vice presidential running mate in 1976 with the party's presidential candidate, Georgia Gov. Jimmy Carter, who went on to defeat President Gerald Ford. Jordan became the first African American and the first woman to deliver a keynote address at a Democratic National Convention, at the party's New York City gathering in 1976.
But it was during the first session of the House Judiciary Committee hearing was aired nationally by all three over-the-air networks in the evening of July 25, that Jordan certainly rose in stature. With Americans captivated by Watergate, it had one of the largest viewing audiences at the time.
It was the eloquence of her defense of the Constitution and the rule of law, something which has been lost these last few months, that stays with many of us.
Such as when she said: 'I felt somehow for many years that George Washington and Alexander Hamilton just left me out by mistake. But through the process of amendment, interpretation and court decision I have finally been included in 'We, the people'.' How true is that?
Or when, as part of her 13-minute speech castigating Nixon's beliefs as president that he was above the rule of law, she pointed out: 'My faith in the Constitution is whole, it is complete, it is total, and I am not going to sit here and be an idle spectator to the diminution, the subversion, the destruction of the Constitution.'
Ah, but if some in Washington, D.C., would but read her succinct and stirring words on this Juneteenth. They may have a different perspective than what their recent actions have proclaimed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Boston Globe
31 minutes ago
- Boston Globe
A potential strike on Iran tests Trump's propensity to play to both sides
Since his first campaign for president 10 years ago, Trump has excelled at appearing to favor both sides of the same issue, allowing supporters to hear what they want to hear, whether he's talking about tariffs, TikTok, abortion, tax cuts, or more. But the prospect that the United States might join Israel in bombing Iran is testing his ability to embrace dueling positions with little to no political cost. Some of Trump's most ardent supporters — those who defended him during multiple investigations and ultimately returned him to the White House — are ripping one another to shreds over the idea and at times lashing out at Trump as well. Advertisement The war in Iran is exactly the kind of Middle East entanglement that Trump's anti-interventionist base believed he was bitterly opposed to, because he repeatedly said he was. But he is also the same president who, in his first term, authorized missile strikes in Syria, after its leadership used chemical weapons on citizens, and the assassination of a top Iranian general, Qassem Soleimani — two actions he took pride in. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up To Trump, the contradictions are not actually contradictions. 'I think I'm the one that decides that,' he told The Atlantic recently in response to criticism from one of his most vocal anti-interventionist supporters, Tucker Carlson, who said the president's support for Israel's fight in Iran ran against his 'America First' message. Trump was propelled to victory in the Republican primary in 2016 as an outsider, in part because he forcefully condemned the invasion of Iraq, authorized by the last Republican president more than a decade before, and the seemingly endless war that followed. Yet he said the United States should have taken the country's oil, and ran radio ads saying he would 'bomb the hell' out of the Islamic State group. Advertisement He has said he wants to renew the tax cuts he put into effect in his first term, which saved some of the wealthiest earners millions, while also suggesting that congressional Republicans should implement a new tax on the wealthiest. He has said he supports businesses and also wants to deport the immigrant workforce that fuels parts of the economy. He wants to engage in mass deportation and also wants to sell visas for $5 million. He has celebrated the Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade as a point of pride while also condemning Republican governors who signed bills banning most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy. He has both celebrated and criticized his own criminal justice reform bill of 2018. Despite the contradictions, Republicans for years have been united in support of Trump and what he says he wants, giving him a benefit of the doubt that few, if any, career politicians have ever received. Even when most elected Republicans held Trump at a distance after the deadly attack on the Capitol by a pro-Trump mob on Jan. 6, 2021, Trump still had a tight grip on Republican primary voters. Trump, a celebrity known to the electorate for decades, has obscured long-standing and unresolved foreign policy divisions within the party dating back to the aftermath of President George W. Bush's push to invade Iraq. Advertisement But as Trump decides whether to plunge the United States into the heart of the Israel-Iran conflict, his core supporters are splintering. Trump's announcement Thursday that he could take up to two weeks to decide did not sit well with some of his most hawkish supporters. On social media, Fox News host Mark Levin began a lengthy post by suggesting that the president was being pulled back from what he actually wants to do. 'LET TRUMP BE TRUMP!' Levin wrote. 'We got our answer. Iran says no unconditional surrender. Again. And again. And again. They cheat and lie and kill. They're TERRORISTS!' His anti-interventionist supporters, meanwhile, have been equally alarmed by what he might decide to do. 'Anyone slobbering for the U.S. to become fully involved in the Israel/Iran war is not America First/MAGA,' Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, Republican of Georgia, posted on social media over the weekend. Trump's advisers say that on the Israel-Iran conflict in particular, the president is dealing with a fast-moving, complicated situation that does not lend itself to simple, black-and-white solutions, despite the fact that he has consistently campaigned that way. 'President Trump considers the nuances of every issue but ultimately takes decisive action to directly benefit American families,' said Anna Kelly, a White House spokesperson. 'The American people trust this president to make the right decisions,' she said, adding that he 'started the Make America Great Again movement because he represents a new leadership that puts Americans first.' But in 2025, Trump is not the only one who can command media attention. Carlson is no longer on Fox News, but he has a show that streams on the social platform X and is a leading voice among foreign policy 'restrainers' who have argued that Trump would be acting against his own movement should he strike Iran. Advertisement Steve Bannon, an adviser who was exiled from the White House in the first year of Trump's first term, has become one of the dominant voices among the MAGA faithful with his 'War Room' podcast, delivering the same message as Carlson. Yet Trump has found that many of his allies will ultimately come back to him, despite unhappiness with some of his decisions.
Yahoo
32 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Crowd Bursts Into Laughter at Biden's Holy Trump Dig
Joe Biden made veiled jabs at President Trump during public comments on Juneteenth, drawing a big laugh from a crowd when he made the sign of the cross instead of speaking his successor's name. Biden was at the Reedy Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Galveston, Texas, where he took part in a service and denounced 'ongoing efforts to erase history.' The church was one of the sites where an order announcing the end of slavery in Texas was read, according to the church. Biden, who made Juneteenth a federal holiday in 2021 to commemorate the end of slavery, said at the church that 'the events of Juneteenth are of monumental importance to America's story,' according to CBS News. 'Still today, some say to me and you that this doesn't deserve to be a federal holiday. They don't want to moral stain of slavery,' Biden said. The former president spoke on the same day that Trump moaned that there are 'too many non-working holidays.' 'It must change if we are going to, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!' Trump wrote in a Truth Social post on Juneteenth. A source familiar with the president's thinking told The Daily Beast that, despite the post, he does not plan on making any changes to federal holidays. One of the most notable moments in Biden's address at the church came when he chose to bless himself instead of using Trump's name. 'I took the view as president that we need to be honest about our history, especially because of ongoing efforts to erase our history, not just him, this guy...' Biden said before pausing and making the sign of the cross, drawing laughter and applause from the crowd. Biden also slammed 'ongoing efforts to erase history from our textbooks and our classrooms' and spoke about efforts to change the names of American military bases that honored Confederate officers. 'What are we doing now? Reinstating those names,' Biden said. Last week, Trump used a speech at Fort Bragg in North Carolina to promise that he would restore the names of Army bases that were once named for Confederate generals. 'Darkness can hide much but can erase nothing,' Biden added. The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for comment.
Los Angeles Times
an hour ago
- Los Angeles Times
Laguna Beach Boys & Girls Club celebrates opening of Dream Play Yard
Not quite three years have passed since a gathering in the backyard of the Boys & Girls Club in Laguna Beach promised funding for a playground of kids' dreams. Local dignitaries and public officials returned to the site on Friday to participate in a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the now open Dream Play Yard at the branch located at 1085 Laguna Canyon Road. 'They've been waiting, years of just gossip about the playground potentially happening,' said Kelsi Briggs, director of the Laguna Canyon branch. 'I'm sure it felt like decades for them. … The day it opened and we were allowed to play on it, we let [the children] do it right away. We opened the doors, they ran out, smiles literally ear to ear from kids and staff. 'Kids were rolling on the grass. They haven't seen grass out here before, so it was a big, huge thing for them. … We haven't opened our games room very much recently because they just want to be outside, which is something that today, we don't see a lot of.' Dozens of children sat at colorful, kid-sized tables eating lunch, and the public officials on hand spoke to them as their primary audience. 'This is a place for you to play, a place for you to make friends, and a place really for you to explore and flourish,' said Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris (D-73), who in October 2022 presented the club with a check for $400,000 in state funding for the project. Laguna Beach is now part of California's 72nd district, represented by Republican Assemblywoman Diane Dixon. 'It is so fantastic,' Dixon said. 'We, as elected officials, often go to openings of freeways, and big buildings, or bridges, which are important to the state of California, but this is really the fun. This is really what we're all here for — is to watch the smiles of young people enjoying this gift from the state of California, and thanks to Assemblymember Cottie Petrie-Norris, because it's important to support the parks and other amenities that are a part of our community.' Mayor Alex Rounaghi, Petrie-Norris and Dixon were among those who went down the slide on the playground following the ceremony, joined by various boys and girls eagerly awaiting their turn. The amenities on site now include handball courts, basketball hoops, skate ramps, and a green turf for further outdoor activities. 'Play has always been an important part of a child's development, just as it's always been an important part of our Boys & Girls Club' said Pam Estes, the chief executive of the Boys & Girls Club of Laguna Beach. 'If we want resilient and well-adjusted kids, we must let them play. Play is the natural way that kids learn. They develop empathy, creativity, communication and collaboration through it. 'Playing outdoors in the fresh air, it can have a special and powerful impact on their health and wellbeing. In today's world, free play has an even more important role in helping children understand themselves, the real world, and how to navigate, negotiate and contribute to it. We should all remember that play relieves stress and creates happiness.'
