Vernon E. Jordan Jr.
An Old School Black Man Takes His Final Bow
Vernon Jordan died this past week.
It would be repetitive to state the long litany of contributions Jordan has made to the struggle for equal justice for Black people. He has been in the mix for probably about 60 years in one way or another in many different ways.
As many know, he even took a bullet in the back in Fort Wayne, Indiana, for the cause back in 1980 (He was Director of the National Urban League then).
But Jordan kept pushing.
He worked through the system. He fought for equal justice the way he knew best. He became a lawyer and he could have been a minister. He has said this. In the talk I posted below, he says as much.
Some objected to the path he took but it has always been part of the Black struggle and will remain part of it for the forseeable future.
He is from a proud and strong Black community and family. This should not be taken lightly. There is something to be said for this sense of pride and community.
My fondest memory of Jordan was when I was a kid and Jordan was becoming well known and I saw his name in the 1960 Howard University Yearbook. He was a law grad. My father is in that same yearbook as is my uncle. They both graduated from…
