John Anderson

Best in Sass

Barbara Jordan Memorial

Tired of those pale, male Confederate generals taking pride of place on the University of Texas' campus? We are too, and luckily some UT students agreed and took it upon themselves to try to fund a statue of one of UT's most illustrious professors – the inimitable Barbara Jordan. Hands on hips, jaw squarely forward, the bronzed lady gives off a vibe of pure … well … sass. Although we're unsure who she's staring down – that son of a bitch Richard Nixon who she argued for impeaching, nonchalant college kids strolling unaware of bedrock laid by folks like Jordan, or all those white generals stolidly staring out into space. Any way you slice it, tribute to this historic figure is long overdue, and in the tradition of other fine purveyors of sass (who often happen to be leaders of repressed groups … is sass a strategy of resistance?) could use three or four more statues to convey the enormity of her import.

Barbara Jordan Memorial
24th & Whitis