Page 296 - Between One and Many The Art and Science of Public Speaking

In Their Own Words

“We, the People” by Barbara Jordan

We are dedicated to keeping the memory of Barbara
Jordan alive. Recipient of the Presidential Medal of
Freedom, Congresswoman and State Senator from
Texas, she was arguably one of the most gifted speak-
ers of the 20th-century. Many experts regard her key-
note address to the Democratic Convention in 1976
as the top political speech in modern history. Here is
a brief excerpt of her statements during the debate on
the impeachment of President Nixon in 1974:
We, the people. It is a very eloquent beginning. But
when that document was completed on the 17th of
September in 1787, I was not included in that “We, the
people.” I felt somehow for many years that George
Washington and Alexander Hamilton just left me out by
mistake. But through the pro cess of amendment, inter-
pretation and court decision I have fi nally been included
in “We, the people.” 1
Two decades later, Jordan was asked to head the
United States Commission on Immigration Reform.
Testifying before the very congressional committee of
which she was once a member, Jordan echoed her words from long ago:
I would be the last person to claim that our nation is perfect. But we have a kind of perfection in us because our founding
principle is universal—that we are all created equal regardless of race, religion or national ancestry. When the Declaration
of Independence was written, when the Constitution was adopted, when the Bill of Rights was added to it, they all applied
almost exclusively to white men of Anglo-Saxon descent who owned property on the East Coast. They did not apply to me.
I am female. I am black. But these self-evident principles apply to me now as they apply to everyone in this room. 2
1 “Barbara Jordan: A Passionate Voice,” Sacramento Bee, 18 January 1996, A16.
2 Jerelyn Eddings, “The Voice of Eloquent Thunder,” U.S. News and World Report, 29 January 1996, 16.

Exhibit 10.1
Less Immediate More Immediate
How to Say It More
I Immediately
Me We
You Us
Them
Wouldn’t you agree?
I think
It’s my opinion
I know How many of us believe . . . ?
Share
Tell
Show
Explain Look at
Talk to Talk with
263