Joseph A. Jordan Jr. facts for kids

Joseph A. Jordan Jr. (born 1924, died 1991) was an important African American lawyer. He was also a civil rights activist. This means he worked to make sure everyone had fair and equal rights. He helped end unfair voting fees called poll taxes. This happened through a big case in the Supreme Court of the United States.

Early Life and Education

Joseph Jordan grew up in Norfolk, Virginia. He attended Booker T. Washington High School. After that, he went to Virginia Union University.

In 1943, Jordan joined the United States Army. He fought overseas during World War II. In September 1945, he was in an accident. His jeep went into a mine field. This accident caused him to become paralyzed from the waist down. After that, Jordan used a wheelchair.

He continued his education after the war. Jordan earned a degree in sociology. He then studied law at Brooklyn Law School. Later, he also studied labor law at New York University.

Career

Fighting for Rights

In 1954, Joseph Jordan started his own law office in Norfolk. He quickly became involved in the civil rights movement.

In 1955, the state of Virginia wanted to vote on allowing segregation. Segregation meant keeping Black and white people separate. Jordan filed a special request called an injunction to stop this vote.

He also worked with another civil rights activist, Evelyn Thomas Butts. They tried to protest a supermarket that did not hire Black people for important jobs. Jordan fought for their right to protest, but he did not win that case.

Jordan was part of many cases against segregation in Virginia. These cases happened in 1961, 1962, and 1964.

Ending the Poll Tax

In November 1963, Evelyn Butts asked Jordan to help her. She wanted to sue the state because of the poll tax. A poll tax was a fee people had to pay to vote. This tax often stopped poor people and many Black people from voting.

Their first case was dismissed in 1964. But Jordan and Butts did not give up. In May 1964, they filed another lawsuit. They said the poll tax went against the U.S. Constitution.

Their case went all the way to the Supreme Court of the United States. It was combined with another similar case. The Supreme Court heard the case in 1966.

Jordan argued that the poll tax stopped Black people from voting. It also stopped them from holding public office. He explained that after these poll tax laws, no Black person had been elected to the Virginia General Assembly. No Black person had held a state office in Virginia.

The Supreme Court made its decision quickly. They agreed that the poll tax was unfair. They said it violated the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. This was a huge victory for voting rights.

Political Life

In 1968, Joseph Jordan was elected to the Norfolk City Council. He was the first Black person to hold that position since 1889. By 1971, he was the only Black member on the council.

In 1972, he became the vice-mayor of Norfolk. But in 1974, Jordan resigned from this role. He felt that another group was running the city, not the City Council.

On July 1, 1977, Jordan was appointed to the Virginia General District Court. He became a judge. At that time, only a few African Americans were state judges. He retired from being a judge in 1986.

Legacy

Joseph Jordan passed away on June 14, 1991. A public library in Norfolk is named after him.

A group called the Joe Jordan Foundation was created in his name. This foundation helped raise money to build a memorial for Martin Luther King Jr. in Norfolk. Jordan himself had suggested this memorial back in the 1970s. The memorial was finally dedicated in 2000.