“See The Change: Pressing Towards Equality of Outcomes”
“We are a people in search of a national community, attempting to fulfill our national purpose, to create and sustain a society in which all of us are equal…. We cannot improve on the system of government, handed down to us by the founders of the Republic, but we can find new ways to implement that system and to realize our destiny.”
-Barbara Jordan, 1976, Democratic National Convention, Keynote Address
Join us this week as we celebrate the legacy of Barbara Jordan and discuss the second phase of the Civil Rights Movement – Equality of Outcomes.
Monday, February 18
Change Set In Motion: Barbara Jordan Retrospective
Hosted by Policy Organization for Women (POW)
Location – SRH 3.122
Time – 12:15-1:45pm
Light lunch will be provided
We will be joined by panelists DeAnn Friedholm (Barbara Jordan's first TA and good friend, now directing the health care reform campaign at Consumers Union) and Max Sherman (served in the State Senate with Barbara Jordan and taught and served as Dean of the LBJ School while Ms. Jordan was teaching at the LBJ School, also editor of Barbara Jordan: Speaking the Truth with Eloquent Thunder). DeAnn and Max will talk about their experiences with Barbara Jordan and give us personal insight into one of the most influential people the nation has ever seen. Second year MPAff student Alice Bufkin will moderate.
Tuesday, February 19
Keynote Address and Luncheon – Continuing the Change: The Second Phase of Civil Rights
Location – LBJ School First Floor Lobby
Time – 12-2pm
RSVP at http://barbarajordanforum2013.eventbrite.com
Shirley Franklin, the LBJ School Barbara Jordan Visiting Professor in Ethics and Political Values, will give this year's keynote address. Franklin served as mayor of Atlanta from 2002 to 2010 and was the first woman to hold the post and became the first African American woman to be elected mayor of a major city in the South.
“It is significant that UT students have planned and are hosting this week’s celebration of Barbara Jordan’s contributions since she spent 17 years teaching and motivating young people here to value the principles of equality,” said Franklin. “I am honored to provide remarks because I believe that Barbara Jordan saw the hope of the Republic and the promise of America in the eyes of the students she taught and inspired here and around the world.”
Wednesday, February 20
Representing Change: Out To Win
Hosted by Harvey Milk Society (HMS)
Location – SRH 3.124
Time – 12:15-1:45pm
Light lunch will be provided
State Rep. Mary González will speak about her experience on the campaign trail and now serving as Texas' first openly LGBTQ female legislator and the nation's first openly pansexual elected official, as well as civil rights for the LGBTQ community.
Thursday, February 21
Challenges to Change: Voting Rights 48 years after the Voting Rights Act, from Selma to Shelby County
Hosted by Social, Health, Economic, and Education Policymakers' (SHEP) and Public Affairs Alliance for Communities of Color (PAACC)
Location – SRH 3.124
Time – 12:15-1:45pm
Light lunch will be provided
Panelists will discuss the issues surrounding the Shelby County v. Holder case and the impact the Supreme Court's decision will have on voters and elected officials in Texas and across the nation.
Our panelists will include:
- Dana DeBeauvoir, Travis County Clerk
- David Richards, Richards, Rodriguez & Skeith Law Firm
- Gerald Torres, UT Law School Bryant Smith Chair in Law
Friday, February 22
Be the Change: Honoring the Legacy of Barbara Jordan Through Service
Hosted by GPAC
Location – Supper Club at Foundation Communities' Arbor Terrace
Arbor Terrace Apartments
2501 South I-35 (I-35 and Oltorf)
Austin, TX 78741
Time – 12:30 to 3:00 pm
Supper Clubs provide an opportunity to come together to help build community by providing a meal and fellowship time for low-income residents at a Foundation Communities property. Supper Clubs are coordinated for properties where access to healthy food is a daily struggle for single adult residents – many of whom were formerly homeless and/or have a disability, and now live in efficiency units with limited funds and kitchen space.
Please join us in preparing a nutritious, home cooked lunch for the residents at Arbor Terrace Apartments. After serving the residents, we will have the opportunity to sit down, enjoy the meal, and converse with the community.
* GPAC will provide the main course and drinks, but we need your help in providing side dishes and desserts. A sign up sheet for these items will be sent out separately early next week.