In honor of Delta Sigma Theta’s centennial last week, our newest inductee to the League of Extraordinary Lesbians is Barbara Jordan.

A subject of many grade school Black History Month papers, Representative Barbara Jordan (D-Texas) was the first African-American woman elected to Congress from a southern state.

Jordan’s list of accomplishments and accolades are way too many to name. The Presidential Medal of Freedom winner was the  first African-American woman to deliver the keynote address at the DNC. Even in her later year she was tapped to be a Supreme Court justice during Clinton’s administration before her health problems became public.

According to  Jordan Rustin Coalition, the LGBT organization named after her and Bayard Rustin, “Jordan was a lesbian with a longtime companion of more than 20 years, Nancy Earl; Jordan never publicly acknowledged her sexual orientation, but in her obituary, the Houston Chronicle mentioned her longtime relationship with Earl.

Barbara, you might not have been a super lesbian but you were definitely something like it… we salute you and your ability to change the world through your words. 

Former President Clinton said it best in his 1996 eulogy,

“Whenever she stood to speak, she jolted the nation’s attention with her artful and articulate defense of the Constitution, the American Dream, and the common heritage and destiny we share, whether we like it or not. ”

Can’t wait to see Viola Davis in the biopic about Jordan’s life that is in the works

Do you know any SLSLs in your neck of the woods? Email me at kristi at the kword dot com or tweet me @kristiweb.