Existing comment:
Vernon Jordan, 2007
Vernon Jordan (born 1935) was part of the second wave of civil rights leaders who followed the generation of Martin Luther King Jr. From a modest background in Atlanta, Jordan went on to college at DePauw University and later earned his law degree from Howard University. Jordan became the director of the United Negro College Fund (1970) and served as president of the National Urban League from 1971 to 1981.
In 1980 he was shot by a white supremacist but survived the attack. Subsequently, Jordan took a less public role in politics and civil rights. Politically adroit and well-connected, Jordan has become a major power broker in Washington, one whose influence transcends the lines of race and party. |