FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: MELINDA SHELTON, 767, DIANE MINOR, 773
"Barbara Jordan's death marks the passing of a true champion for all people. She was a person of utmost integrity and a standard bearer when it came to doing the right thing," said NOW National Secretary Karen Johnson, a Texan. "To know Barbara Jordan was to admire and respect her, and she was THE role model of a public servant for all races and both genders. Very few public figures have been so inspirational."
Johnson and other national NOW leaders remembered Jordan for her work as a feminist in defending and promoting passage of the Equal Rights Amendment and as a staunch ally of the poor and disadvantaged. While in Congress, Jordan sponsored both the Workman's Compensation Act, which increased benefits to injured workers, and legislation extending the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to include Mexican Americans and other people of color.
"Barbara Jordan emerged as a leader on many fronts, especially during the Watergate investigation of Richard Nixon, when she not only voted to impeach him, but also expressed her unshakable belief in our nation's Constitution," Johnson said. "She was principled, ethical and highly moral -- she was a woman I and any person should aspire to be like.
"While Barbara Jordan's death represents a monumental loss, her life should serve as an inspiration to us all. She blazed new trails, set high standards and was a true hero in our time."