[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 201 (Wednesday, December 6, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1183]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             HONORING DR. DOCK J. AND CARRIE THOMAS JORDAN

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. VALERIE P. FOUSHEE

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 6, 2023

  Mrs. FOUSHEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and legacy 
of two civil rights leaders and educators, Dr. Dock J. Jordan, and 
Carrie Thomas Jordan, who helped shape the education system in Durham 
and Alamance counties, leading the way for future generations in North 
Carolina.
  Dr. Jordan, the son of a former slave, persevered in a deeply 
segregated environment in rural Georgia. Despite attending just three 
months of school yearly, Dr. Jordan graduated high school, and later 
from Allen University in 1892. During his time at Allen University, Dr. 
Jordan would go on to receive his law degree, eventually passing the 
bar in South Carolina in 1892 and in Georgia in 1904.
  Following stints as the Professor of Literature at Morris Brown 
College, Dr. Jordan co-authored, ``An Appeal for the Colored Schools in 
the State of Georgia'' with W.E.B. Dubois in 1901 to appeal to the 
white Georgia legislators and defeat a bill that would close one-half 
to two-thirds of Black public schools in the state. This was an 
important step towards highlighting gaps in education, as only 15 
percent of public-school property was owned by Black schools, despite 
48 percent of the school population being represented by Black 
children.
  In 1917, Dr. Jordan was placed on the United States watchlist when 
the Raleigh Independent published his letter criticizing President 
Woodrow Wilson's administration. The letter explained the brutal 
treatment of African Americans during the 1917 East St. Louis Riots and 
accused President Wilson of disregarding the feelings and rights of 
African Americans and not valuing them as humans. This letter would 
resonate deeply within the African-American community and placed a 
further spotlight on the mistreatment of Black Americans at the time.
  Dr. Jordan's academic career would continue until 1939, serving as 
the President of Kittrell College in North Carolina from 1902 to 1912. 
From 1912 to 1920, he served as the director of the Teaching Training 
Department at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical College in 
Greensboro. And from 1918 to 1939 Dr. Jordan was a professor and the 
chair of the history department at State Normal School in Durham, now 
known as North Carolina Central University.
  Dr. Jordan's wife, Carrie Thomas Jordan, was as equally dedicated 
towards advancing African-American education. Growing up in a family 
with deep ties to educators, Carrie Jordan uniquely emphasized 
spelling, geography, and nature study during her time as a school 
administrator. Mrs. Jordan served as the superintendent of colored 
public schools in Durham and is credited with the construction of 
twelve new schools, as well as hosting the first commencement exercises 
in Durham County for African American students.
  Mrs. Jordan's new commencement tradition for Durham County's African-
American schools became a key pillar for the local community. The 
county commencements were a time that the Black community could gather 
and celebrate their achievements, academic or otherwise. Carrie Jordan 
would later note that these academic achievements were proof to both 
the Black and White communities of the strength, potential, and 
resilience of the Black community.
  The accomplishments, progress achieved, and contributions to African 
American students by Dr. Dock J. Jordan and Carrie Thomas Jordan should 
not go unnoticed. The Jordans were educational powerhouses, 
contributing immensely to the advancement of African American education 
in Durham County, Alamance County, and what is now North Carolina's 4th 
District, as a whole.

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