“Impeachment and Our America: What Would Barbara Jordan Do?”

In conjunction with Black History Month and the annual celebration of Barbara Jordan Week, the Barbara Jordan Freedom Foundation invites the public to experience the powerful words and legacy of trailblazing Texas political and civil rights leader Barbara Jordan with a free virtual event on Friday, Feb. 26, 2021, from 10 to 11 a.m. CT as her impeachment speech is showcased and discussed.

Dr. Peniel Joseph, Professor and Barbara Jordan Chair in Ethics and Political Values at the Lyndon B. Johnson (LBJ) School of Public Affairs and director of the Center for the Study of Race and Democracy (CSRD), will discuss the generations-long impact Jordan continues to make on politics, civil rights and social justice in America. Hosted by the Barbara Jordan Freedom Foundation (in lieu of the annual Texas Capitol exhibit), the program features film footage of Jordan’s statement on the impeachment of Richard Nixon (1974) and discussion from Joseph, followed by a Q&A with LBJ students and Barbara Jordan National Forum Co-Chairs Aaron Escajeda, Azeem Edwin, and Claudia Sandoval. This event will be aired virtually and is free and open to the public.

The event also marks the launch of the new Barbara Jordan Freedom Foundation website (going live on Friday, Feb. 26) featuring a timeline of Barbara Jordan’s life and legacy, resources, and more about the Barbara Jordan Freedom Foundation whose mission is to further the ideals, principles, and vision that Barbara Jordan exemplified during her life and career by identifying injustices, speaking truth to power, and empowering communities to address these injustices. Visit www.barbarajordanfreedomfoundation.org on event day to experience the multimedia content.

Friday, February 26, 2021

10:00 – 11:00 a.m.

Dr. Peniel E. Joseph, Professor and Barbara Jordan Chair in Ethics and Political Values at the Lyndon B. Johnson (LBJ) School of Public Affairs and director of the Center for the Study of Race and Democracy (CSRD)

UT Austin LBJ School of Public Affairs students Aaron Escajeda, Azeem Edwin, and Claudia Sandoval

*The event will also be livestreamed on the Barbara Jordan Freedom Foundation Facebook page and YouTube channel*

Meet the Speaker:

Dr. Peniel E. Joseph

Peniel Joseph holds a joint professorship appointment at the LBJ School of Public Affairs and the History Department in the College of Liberal Arts at The University of Texas at Austin. He is also the founding director of the LBJ School's Center for the Study of Race and Democracy (CSRD). His career focus has been on "Black Power Studies," which encompasses interdisciplinary fields such as Africana studies, law and society, women's and ethnic studies, and political science.

Prior to joining the UT faculty, Dr. Joseph was a professor at Tufts University, where he founded the school's Center for the Study of Race and Democracy to promote engaged research and scholarship focused on the ways issues of race and democracy affect people's lives.

In addition to being a frequent commentator on issues of race, democracy and civil rights, Dr. Joseph's most recent book is The Sword and the Shield: The Revolutionary Lives of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. He also wrote the award-winning books Waiting 'Til the Midnight Hour: A Narrative History of Black Power in America and Dark Days, Bright Nights: From Black Power to Barack Obama. His book Stokely: A Life has been called the definitive biography of Stokely Carmichael, the man who popularized the phrase "black power." Included among Joseph's other book credits is the editing of The Black Power Movement: Rethinking the Civil Rights-Black Power Era and Neighborhood Rebels: Black Power at the Local Level.

Recent Publications

What Bill Clinton got 'exactly wrong' about Stokely Carmichael's role in the Black freedom struggle

America is on a brink like none since the Civil War

John Lewis knew civil rights did not end with voting reform or Barack Obama

How Black Lives Matter transformed the Fourth of July

What black children will learn from George Floyd's death

Learn more at csrd.lbj.utexas.edu and lbj.utexas.edu/joseph-peniel.