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Vernon E. Jordan Jr.

ヴァーノン・E・ジョーダン・ジュニア

Vernon E. Jordan Jr.

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1935-08-15 （Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.）
Died
2021-03-01 （Washington, D.C., U.S.） age 85
Nationality
United States
Languages
English
Residence History
Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. → Washington, D.C., U.S.

Career

Occupations
Attorney, Business executive, Civil rights activist
Active Years
1960-2021
Affiliations
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Southern Regional Council, Voter Education Project, United Negro College Fund (UNCF), National Urban League, Akin Gump (law firm), Lazard, Board memberships of multiple corporations (American Express, J.C. Penney, etc.)
Memberships
Council on Foreign Relations, Bilderberg Group, Omega Psi Phi, Sigma Pi Phi
Influenced By
Donald L. Hollowell, Charles Peter McColough
Influenced
Younger civil rights activists, Leaders in politics and business

Education

DePauw University
College of Arts and Sciences
Degree: BA
Period: 1953–1957
Year of Graduation: 1957
Country: United States
Attended as one of very few black students in his class
Howard University School of Law
Law School
Degree: Juris Doctor (JD)
Period: 1957–1960
Year of Graduation: 1960
Country: United States
Legal training that formed the basis for his civil rights career

Awards

Barnard Medal of Distinction
1983
Organization: Barnard College
Result: 受賞
Spingarn Medal
2001
Organization: NAACP
Result: 受賞（生涯功労）
Best Nonfiction Book (Black Caucus of the American Library Association)
2001
Work: Vernon Can Read!
Organization: Black Caucus of the American Library Association
Result: 受賞
Anisfield-Wolf Book Award
2002
Work: Vernon Can Read!
Organization: Anisfield-Wolf Book Award
Result: 受賞
Trailblazer Award
2002
Organization: Metropolitan Black Bar Association
Result: 受賞
The New Jewish Home's Eight over Eighty honor
2017
Organization: The New Jewish Home
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Vernon Can Read!

2001 Memoir

A memoir covering his life through the 1980s, detailing his civil rights work and career as a leader and power broker.

Civil rightsRace relationsResilienceLeadership

Make It Plain: Standing Up and Speaking Out

2008 Speeches/essays

A collection of public speeches with commentary, focused on civil rights and social justice themes.

Civil rightsSocial justiceAdvocacy

Bibliography

  • Vernon Can Read!
  • Make It Plain: Standing Up and Speaking Out

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Frank, memoir-style narrationPersuasive rhetoric in public speeches
Recurring Motifs
Struggle against racial inequalityLeadership and mediationPersonal resilience

Health

  • Gunshot wound
    1980
    Seriously wounded in a 1980 shooting; recovered and continued public work thereafter.

Legacy

A civil rights leader and influential connector between politics and business; advocated for racial equality and expanded opportunities throughout his life.

Academic Societies

  • Council on Foreign Relations (CFR)
  • Bilderberg Group (participant)

Archives

  • Howard University School of Law Library (named in his honor)

Quotes

  • I do not challenge the conservatism of this administration. I do challenge its failure to exhibit a compassionate conservatism that adapts itself to the realities of a society ridden by class and race distinction.
    Source: The New York Times (statement, 1981) (1981)

Trivia

  • Escorted Charlayne Hunter into the University of Georgia as part of desegregation litigation in 1961.
  • Was seriously shot in Fort Wayne in 1980.
  • Served as a close adviser to Bill Clinton and worked on Clinton's transition team.
  • Served on the boards of many corporations and was an influential figure in business.