black politics on the web
The U.S. Postal Service officially unveiled the images of its commemorative stamp program. Former U.S. Congresswoman from Texas Barbara Jordan is the 2011 Black Heritage stamp honoree. In 1972, Jordan was the first African-American woman elected to the United States House of Representatives from the South.
Prior to being elected to Congress, Jordan was the first African-American elected to the Texas Senate after Reconstruction. Jordan was also the first African-American woman to deliver the keynote address at the Democratic National Convention in 1976.
Jordan was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1994 and was elected to both the Texas and National Women’s Hall of Fame. Jordan graduated from Texas Southern University, where she joined the debate team and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and obtained her law degree from Boston University.
In addition to Jordan, other stamp honorees include former President Ronald Reagan, legendary author Mark Twain, award-winning actor and actress Gregory Peck and Helen Hayes, and Latin music giants Selena, Carlos Gardel, Carmen Miranda, Tito Puente and Celia Cruz.
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