First Black woman elected to Congress from the South

On November 7, 1972, Barbara Jordan won election to the U.S. House of Representatives, representing Texas's newly created 18th Congressional District in Houston. Her victory made her the first Black woman elected to Congress from the South and one of the first two African Americans elected to Congress from the former Confederacy in the twentieth century, alongside Andrew Young of Georgia.

Jordan's congressional district had been redrawn as a majority-Black, urban district as a result of the Voting Rights Act's enforcement, opening a path to Washington that had been closed to Black Southerners for generations. Her campaign built upon the reputation and coalition she had established during her six years in the Texas Senate.

Jordan's election represented a watershed moment for Black political representation nationally, occurring less than a decade after the systematic disenfranchisement of Black voters throughout much of the South. Her win demonstrated the transformative power of the Voting Rights Act and signaled a new era of Black political participation at the federal level.

In Congress, Jordan quickly distinguished herself, securing a coveted seat on the House Judiciary Committee. She would go on to gain national fame just two years later during the Watergate impeachment hearings, and her congressional career would establish her as one of the most respected and eloquent legislators of her generation.