Time: Wednesday March 19, 2025,13:15
Venue: Aula, Collegium Heliodori Święcicki, Grunwaldzka 6
Speaker: Prof. Mary Ellen Curtin (American University in Washington DC)
A Black Woman Reimagines Power: Barbara Jordan And The Art Of Political Persuasion
Abstract
This talk identifies and analyzes some of the specific rhetorical devices, ideas, and Black cultural practices employed in the public speeches of Congresswoman Barbara Jordan of Texas, the first Black woman from the South to serve in Congress and a major figure in the Democratic party during the 1960s and 70s. Jordan has been celebrated as one of America’s greatest orators, but few have examined how she constructed her particular messages about America’s political future or asked—why was she so persuasive? At a time when progressive women in American politics seek to provide alternative visions for the future, and establish their right to leadership, Jordan’s unmatched ability to persuade minds and inspire listeners to take action deserves special scrutiny.
About the speaker
Prof. Mary Ellen Curtin received her PhD from Duke University, and currently teaches in the Department of Critical Race, Gender, and Culture Studies (CRGC) at American University in Washington DC. Broadly speaking, her research examines African American life in the South after emancipation, with an expansive view of how Black communities both endured and responded to ongoing racist oppression and violence. Her most recent book, She Changed the Nation: Barbara Jordan’s Life and Legacy in Black Politics, (2024) examines Jordan’s emergence as a nationally recognized southern Black woman political leader, orator, and leading Democrat, who sought to move the Black struggle from protest to electoral politics. She is currently a Fulbright Distinguished Scholar in Humanities and Social Sciences at the Faculty of English, AMU.
About the lecture series
WA Distinguished Professors’ Lectures Series features internationally renowned scholars visiting the Faculty of English to share their research and professional expertise with the faculty