AUSTIN, Texas—Barbara Jordan Early College Prep scholars and the public are invited to hear African American women leaders, who are continuing the legacy of Barbara Jordan, share their experiences at the Barbara Jordan’s Annual Day of Remembrance.

Who: Meria Carstarphen, AISD superintendent; Shirley Franklin, visiting scholar at the University of Texas in Austin LBJ School of Public Affairs and former Atlanta mayor; and Camille Maddox, recipient of the Barbara Jordan Scholar award at LBJ School of Public Affairs

When: 9-10 a.m. Friday, Feb. 21

Where: Barbara Jordan Early College Prep School cafeteria, 6711 Johnny Morris Road

Background: Feb. 21 marks the date of Barbara Jordan’s birthday. This year, the trailblazer would have been 78 years old. Jordan, an American politician and Civil Rights leader, was the first African American elected to the Texas Senate after Reconstruction and to deliver the keynote address at the Democratic National Convention. She was the first African American female to serve as president pro tem of the state senate and served briefly as acting governor of Texas. In 1972, she was elected to Congress and later became an adjunct professor at the University of Texas in Austin’s Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs. Jordan was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1994. It was only one of many honors given her, including election into both the Texas and National Women's Hall of Fame. Jordan is buried in the Texas State Cemetery in Austin, and was the first black woman interred there.

For more information, please contact Diana Vallejo, principal of Barbara Jordan Early College Prep School at 512-414-2583 or dvallejo@austinisd.org.