Howard College Names Legislation Library in Honor of Civil Rights Activist Vernon Jordan

The Howard University Board of Trustees, on the recommendation of President Wayne AI Frederick, announces its unanimous decision to rename the Law School Library as Vernon E. Jordan, Jr., Esq. Law Library in honor of the proud and devoted Howard alumnus and civil rights icon. Picture L to R: Valerie Jarrett, Jordan, President Barack Obama and President Frederick at the University’s opening ceremony in 2016.

Washington, March 8, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) – Today, on the recommendation of President Wayne AI Frederick, the Howard University Board of Trustees announced its unanimous decision to rename the Law School Library as Vernon E. Jordan, Jr., Esq. Law Library in honor of the proud and devoted Howard alumnus and civil rights icon.

“Vernon Jordan’s life embodied Howard’s motto of truth and service from his early beginnings as a lawyer to his work in the civil rights movement and later as an advisor to Presidents Reagan, Bush, Carter, and most importantly, as a friend and advisor to President Bill Clinton,” said President Wayne AI Frederick. “Mr. Jordan is a person who has never met a stranger and who enjoyed mentoring students to help them succeed. He would often tell a story about how he spent his summers in college chauffeuring Robert Maddox, a former Atlanta, GA mayor and retired banker who owned a huge home library. Mr. Jordan spent his free time reading the books and when Maddox found out he was shocked and reluctantly gave him permission to continue reading. One evening at the dining table, Maddox announced to his family, “Vernon can read!” Mr. Jordan never forgot this experience, and it became a defining moment in his comprehensive narrative of triumph over controversy. It is therefore most fitting that we name one of Howard’s libraries in his honor. “

Mr. Jordan was the Senior Managing Director of Lazard Frères & Co. LLC in New York, where he worked with a diverse group of clients in a variety of industries. Before joining Lazard, he was Senior Executive Partner at the law firm Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, where he was Senior Counsel. There he practiced general, social, legislative and international law in Washington, DC and New York.

Prior to joining Akin Gump, Mr. Jordan held the following positions: President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Urban League, Inc .; Executive Director of the United Negro College Fund, Inc .; Director of the Voter Education Project of the Southern Regional Council; Attorney-at-law for the US Office of Economic Opportunity; Assistant to the Executive Director of Southern Regional Council; Georgia Field Director, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People; and an attorney in private practice in Arkansas and Georgia. The President’s appointments to Mr. Jordan included: the President’s Advisory Committee for the Points of Light Initiative Foundation; the Foreign Minister’s Advisory Committee for South Africa; the Social Security Advisory Committee; the Presidential Clemency Board, the American Revolution Bicentennial Commission, the National Advisory Committee on Selective Service, and the Council of the White House Conference entitled “To Fulfill These Rights.” In 1992, Mr. Jordan served as chairman of the Clinton Presidential Transition Team. His corporate and other director mandates included: American Express Company (Senior Advisor); Asbury Automotive Group, Inc .; Howard University (retired trustee); Lazard Ltd .; Xerox Corporation (Senior Advisor); and Barrick Gold International Advisory Board.

Mr. Jordan graduated from DePauw University and Howard University School of Law and has honorary degrees from more than 60 colleges and universities in America. He has served on the Arkansas, District of Columbia, Georgia and the US Supreme Court of Lawyers. He was a member of the American Bar Association, the National Bar Association, the Council on Foreign Relations, and the Bilderberg Meetings.

Mr. Jordan authored the book, “Vernon Can Read! A Memoir “(Public Affairs, 2001) and” Make It Plain, Standing Up and Speaking Out “(Public Affairs, 2008). To make a contribution, please visit: give.howard.edu/jordanlibrary. # # #

• Vernon Obama Commencement 4cropped

Alonda Thomas Howard University [email protected]