June Jordan, 1936-2002

Award-winning author, poet, and social and political activist, June Jordan was born on July 9, 1936, in Harlem, New York, to Granville Ivanhoe Jordan and Mildred Fisher Jordan, both immigrants from Jamaica. The family lived in Harlem for the first five years of Jordan's life. Then, hoping that their daughter would receive a better education, the family moved from Harlem to Bedford-Stuyvesant, a neighborhood of Brooklyn. Jordan attended public schools in Brooklyn, until 1950, when she entered the Northfield School for Girls, a Protestant finishing school in Massachusetts. She graduated from Northfield in 1953 at age sixteen; and a short time after entering Barnard College, she changed her major from music to English. As an undergraduate at Barnard (1953-1955), she met Michael Meyer, a white student at Columbia University. The couple married in 1955 and moved to Chicago, where Meyer pursued graduate studies in anthropology at the University of Chicago. Jordan enrolled in the University of Chicago but within a year returned to New York and re-entered Barnard for a semester. She withdrew following the birth of her son (and only child), Christopher David, in 1958. She later enrolled in Hunter College (1962), but left the college before completing her degree. While Jordan's long-distance marriage continued for several years, the couple filed for divorce in 1964. Dedicated to urban development, in 1964 she collaborated with R. Buckminster Fuller on an architectural re-design of Harlem. She also worked as a research associate and writer for the Mobilization for Youth, Inc., on the lower East Side of Manhattan.

Initially, Jordan worked as a freelance writer to supplement her income. In the late 1960s, she wrote both fiction and nonfiction, and began reading her poetry at paid engagements arranged by the American Academy of Poets. At the same time, Jordan worked as a lecturer and adjunct faculty member at several institutions, including Connecticut College (1968), and the City College of New York. She also served as writer-participant for the Teachers-Writers Collaborative Program, Columbia University. With Fuller's support, Jordan received an award for creative writing from the Rockefeller Foundation (1969), as well as a Prix de Rome in Environmental Design (1970). While she retained an interest in urban planning and development, by the early 1970s Jordan concentrated her efforts more fully on writing and teaching, using her talents to address issues of discrimination based on race and gender, as well other politically controversial issues. Throughout her life Jordan advocated teaching Black English, not only as a means of teaching black children to read, but as a method for African American writers to develop identity and voice. She wrote children's poems and books in Black English, including her first novel, His Own Where . During the same period of her career, she continued adjunct work at various colleges: Sarah Lawrence College (1971-1975), Yale University (1974-1975), and Macalester College (Visiting Poet, 1980), before accepting a tenured position at SUNY Stony Brook (1978-1989). Additionally, she taught at the University of Wisconsin, Madison (Visiting Professor in African American Studies, 1988). In 1988, she accepted a joint appointment as Professor of African American Studies and Women's Studies at the University of California, Berkeley (UCB).

At UCB, Jordan led an especially popular course in African American studies, "The Teaching and Writing of Poetry," which developed into a program called Poetry for the People. Graduates who completed the course became "student-teachers of Poetry" and conducted workshops at various community groups in the Berkeley area as well as guest lecturing. In the fall of 1995, Jordan collaborated with an Oakland (California) community organization, La Peña Cultural Center, to institute a pilot program with students of Berkeley High School. Their success spawned workshops in area schools, congregations, and correctional facilities. She also collaborated with Janice Mirikitani, San Francisco's poet laureate (2000) and executive director of Glide Memorial Church. In 1995, Poetry for the People published an anthology, June Jordan's Poetry for the People: A Revolutionary Blueprint .

During her tenure at UCB, Jordan wrote and published prolifically. Her essays appeared regularly in mainstream publications such as Essence and Ms., and she wrote a regular column, "Just Inside the Door," for The Progressive magazine (1989-2001). In the 1980s and 1990s, Jordan's writings continued to address themes of discrimination, equality, and economic and social disparities caused by race and gender; they also highlighted global poverty, religious intolerance, American foreign policy (especially in Nicaragua and the Persian Gulf) and minority rights. An outspoken bisexual, Jordan increasingly championed the rights of lesbians, gays, and bisexuals. In the last years of her life, Jordan devoted herself to writing and teaching at UCB; she continued to speak out against injustice until her death from breast cancer in Berkeley, California, in 2002. For a more detailed biography, see the finding aid for the June Jordan Papers, MC 513 .

From the guide to the Jordan, June, 1936-2002. Videotape collection of June Jordan, (inclusive), 1976-2002, (Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute)

Award-winning author, poet, and social and political activist, June Jordan was born on July 9, 1936, in Harlem, New York, to Granville Ivanhoe Jordan and Mildred Fisher Jordan, both immigrants from Jamaica. The family lived in Harlem for the first five years of Jordan's life. Then, hoping that their daughter would receive a better education, the family moved from Harlem to Bedford-Stuyvesant, a neighborhood of Brooklyn. Jordan attended public schools in Brooklyn, until 1950, when she entered the Northfield School for Girls, a Protestant finishing school in Massachusetts. She graduated from Northfield in 1953 at age sixteen; and a short time after entering Barnard College, she changed her major from music to English. As an undergraduate at Barnard (1953-1955), she met Michael Meyer, a white student at Columbia University. The couple married in 1955 and moved to Chicago, where Meyer pursued graduate studies in anthropology at the University of Chicago. Jordan enrolled in the University of Chicago but within a year returned to New York and re-entered Barnard for a semester. She withdrew following the birth of her son (and only child), Christopher David, in 1958. She later enrolled in Hunter College (1962), but left the college before completing her degree. While Jordan's long-distance marriage continued for several years, the couple filed for divorce in 1964. Dedicated to urban development, in 1964 she collaborated with R. Buckminster Fuller on an architectural re-design of Harlem. She also worked as a research associate and writer for the Mobilization for Youth, Inc., on the lower East Side of Manhattan.

Initially, Jordan worked as a freelance writer to supplement her income. In the late 1960s, she wrote both fiction and nonfiction, and began reading her poetry at paid engagements arranged by the American Academy of Poets. At the same time, Jordan worked as a lecturer and adjunct faculty member at several institutions, including Connecticut College (1968), and the City College of New York. She also served as writer-participant for the Teachers-Writers Collaborative Program, Columbia University. With Fuller's support, Jordan received an award for creative writing from the Rockefeller Foundation (1969), as well as a Prix de Rome in Environmental Design (1970). While she retained an interest in urban planning and development, by the early 1970s Jordan concentrated her efforts more fully on writing and teaching, using her talents to address issues of discrimination based on race and gender, as well other politically controversial issues. Throughout her life Jordan advocated teaching Black English, not only as a means of teaching black children to read, but as a method for African American writers to develop identity and voice. She wrote children's poems and books in Black English, including her first novel, His Own Where . During the same period of her career, she continued adjunct work at various colleges: Sarah Lawrence College (1971-1975), Yale University (1974-1975), and Macalester College (Visiting Poet, 1980), before accepting a tenured position at SUNY Stony Brook (1978-1989). Additionally, she taught at the University of Wisconsin, Madison (Visiting Professor in African American Studies, 1988). In 1988, she accepted a joint appointment as Professor of African American Studies and Women's Studies at the University of California, Berkeley (UCB).

At UCB, Jordan led an especially popular course in African American studies, "The Teaching and Writing of Poetry," which developed into a program called Poetry for the People. Graduates who completed the course became "student-teachers of Poetry" and conducted workshops at various community groups in the Berkeley area as well as guest lecturing. In the fall of 1995, Jordan collaborated with an Oakland (California) community organization, La Peña Cultural Center, to institute a pilot program with students of Berkeley High School. Their success spawned workshops in area schools, congregations, and correctional facilities. She also collaborated with Janice Mirikitani, San Francisco's poet laureate (2000) and executive director of Glide Memorial Church. In 1995, Poetry for the People published an anthology, June Jordan's Poetry for the People: A Revolutionary Blueprint .

During her tenure at UCB, Jordan wrote and published prolifically. Her essays appeared regularly in mainstream publications such as Essence and Ms., and she wrote a regular column, "Just Inside the Door," for The Progressive magazine (1989-2001). In the 1980s and 1990s, Jordan's writings continued to address themes of discrimination, equality, and economic and social disparities caused by race and gender; they also highlighted global poverty, religious intolerance, American foreign policy (especially in Nicaragua and the Persian Gulf) and minority rights. An outspoken bisexual, Jordan increasingly championed the rights of lesbians, gays, and bisexuals. In the last years of her life, Jordan devoted herself to writing and teaching at UCB; she continued to speak out against injustice until her death from breast cancer in Berkeley, California, in 2002. For a more detailed biography, see the finding aid for the June Jordan Papers, MC 513 .

From the guide to the Audio collection of June Jordan, (inclusive), 1970-2000, (Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute)

Award-winning author, poet, and social and political activist, June Jordan was born on July 9, 1936, in Harlem, New York, to Granville Ivanhoe Jordan and Mildred Fisher Jordan, both immigrants from Jamaica. The family lived in Harlem for the first five years of Jordan's life. Then, hoping that their daughter would receive a better education, the family moved from Harlem to Bedford-Stuyvesant, a neighborhood of Brooklyn. There, her father began working the night shift as a postal worker and her mother worked as a nurse. According to Jordan's memoir, her father was prone to fits of violence against both her and her mother. While Jordan permitted writers to interview her and write about her childhood, divergent accounts have emerged. Jordan wrote about aspects of childhood and family in various works; however, she recounted her childhood years most fully in the published memoir, Soldier: A Poet's Childhood .

Jordan attended public schools in Brooklyn, including John Marshall Junior High School and Midwood High School, until 1950, when she entered the Northfield School for Girls, a Protestant finishing school in Massachusetts. Immersed in a predominantly white, middle-class atmosphere, she developed a heightened awareness of her identity as an African American. She graduated from Northfield in 1953 at age sixteen, and entered Barnard College as a music major. At Northfield, Jordan read poetry voraciously and began to develop her aptitude for writing; after a short time at Barnard, she changed her major to English.

As an undergraduate at Barnard (1953-1955), she met Michael Meyer (a white student at Columbia University). The couple married in 1955 and moved to Chicago, where Meyer pursued graduate studies in anthropology at the University of Chicago. Jordan enrolled in the University of Chicago but within a year returned to New York and re-entered Barnard for a semester. She withdrew following the birth of her son (and only child), Christopher David, in 1958. She later enrolled in Hunter College (1962), but facing responsibilities of motherhood, left the college before completing her degree. While Jordan's long-distance marriage continued for several years, her correspondence indicates that the distance strained the relationship well before the couple filed for divorce in 1964 (finalized in 1965).

In the midst of her separation and shortly after she withdrew from college, Jordan became an assistant to producer Fred Wiseman on his film, The Cool World, directed by Shirley Clarke. Dedicated to urban development, in 1964 she collaborated with R. Buckminster Fuller on an architectural re-design of Harlem. She also worked as a research associate and writer for the Mobilization for Youth, Inc., on the lower East Side of Manhattan.

Initially, Jordan worked as a freelance writer to supplement her income. In the late 1960s, she wrote both fiction and nonfiction, and began reading her poetry at paid engagements arranged by the American Academy of Poets. At the same time, Jordan embarked on her pedagogical career, working as a lecturer and adjunct faculty member at several institutions, including Connecticut College (1968), and the City College of New York, where she taught in the Seek Education, Elevation and Knowledge [SEEK] English Program (1967-1970, 1972-1975, 1977-1978). She also served as writer-participant for the Teachers-Writers Collaborative Program, Columbia University. Her affiliation with Fuller inspired her and opened several doors. With Fuller's support, Jordan received an award for creative writing from the Rockefeller Foundation (1969), as well as a Prix de Rome in Environmental Design (1970).

While she retained an interest in urban planning and development, by the early 1970s Jordan concentrated her efforts more fully on writing and teaching, using her talents to address issues of discrimination based on race and gender, as well other politically controversial issues. Through her writing she gave a voice to groups and individuals who may have felt too intimidated or downtrodden to speak for themselves. An advocate of children's education, she became an outspoken champion of Black English. The idea, popularized in the late 1960s and early 1970s by linguist William A. Stewart, identified significant similarities in African American articulation, such as zero copula (no verb) that transcended geographic location. He proposed that this difference be respected and treated as a distinct language, not dismissed as dialect. Throughout her life Jordan advocated teaching Black English, not only as a means of teaching black children to read, but as a method for African American writers to develop identity and voice. She wrote children's poems and books in Black English, including her first novel, His Own Where . This children's book, a project conceived by Milton Meltzer, featured poetry alongside visual art depicting African Americans throughout United States history. Initially, Langston Hughes served as the book's poet; upon his untimely death, Meltzer asked Jordan to assume the role. Her involvement in this prominent, critically acclaimed project helped establish her as a significant, upcoming African American writer and poet.

Early in her career, Jordan wrote and produced several other children's books while continuing adjunct work at various colleges. She taught "Literature and Social Change" at Sarah Lawrence College (1971-1975), and various courses in English and African American studies at Yale University (1974-1975) and Macalester College (Visiting Poet, 1980), before accepting a tenured position at SUNY Stony Brook (1978-1989). Additionally, she taught at the University of Wisconsin, Madison (Visiting Professor in African American Studies, 1988). In 1988 she accepted a joint appointment as Professor of African American Studies and Women's Studies at the University of California, Berkeley (UCB).

At UCB, Jordan led an especially popular course in African American studies, "The Teaching and Writing of Poetry," which developed into a program called "Poetry for the People." Graduates who completed the course became "Student Teachers of Poetry" and conducted workshops at various community groups in the Berkeley area. In the fall of 1995, Jordan collaborated with an Oakland (California) community organization, La Peña Cultural Center, to institute a pilot program with students of Berkeley High School. Their success spawned workshops in area schools, congregations, and correctional facilities. She also collaborated with Janice Mirikitani, San Francisco's poet laureate (2000) and executive director of Glide Memorial Church. Poetry for the People received a Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund grant (1995-1998) and Routledge Press published an anthology, June Jordan's Poetry for the People: A Revolutionary Blueprint (1995).

During her tenure at UCB, Jordan wrote and published prolifically. Her essays appeared regularly in mainstream publications such as Essence and Ms., and she wrote a regular column ( Just Inside the Door ) for The Progressive magazine (1989-2001). In the 1980s and 1990s, Jordan's writings continued to address themes of discrimination, equality, and economic and social disparities caused by race and gender; they also highlighted global poverty, religious intolerance, American foreign policy (especially in Nicaragua and the Persian Gulf) and minority rights. An outspoken bisexual, Jordan increasingly championed the rights of lesbians, gays, and bisexuals. Over the course of her career she received many honors, including but not limited to: C.A.P.S. grant in poetry (1978), Yaddo Fellowship (1979), NEA grant in Creative Writing (1982), National Association of Black Journalists Achievement Award (1984), Massachusetts Council for the Arts Award for Contemporary Arts (1985), Playwright-in-Residence of the New Dramatists in New York City (1987-1988), PEN American Center's Freedom to Write Award (1991), the Barnard Distinguished Alumnae Award (1997), and the Lifetime Achievement Award (1998). In the last years of her life, Jordan devoted herself to writing and teaching at UCB; she continued to speak out against injustice until her death from breast cancer in Berkeley, California, in 2002.

From the guide to the Jordan, June, 1936-2002. Papers, (inclusive), (bulk), 1936-2002, 1954-2002, (Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute)