News

Civil Rights Leader Vernon Jordan Passes at 85

Civil rights icon Vernon Jordan passes at 85 surrounded by loved ones.

Clay Cane
March 2, 2021

Reading Time: < 1 minute

Civil rights leader Vernon Jordan has died at 85 years old. According to CNN, he died March 1. His cause of death is not known.

The Atlanta native studied law at Howard University, he filed a racial segregation lawsuit against the University of Georgia in 1961, was a field director for the NAACP and the former president of the National Urban League.

Jordan was also close to Bill and Hillary Clinton, advising them during the 1992 presidential campaign. He famously stood by Pres. Clinton during the Monica Lewinsky scandal. Jordan’s daughter, Vickee Jordan, said in a statement to NBC News, he “passed away peacefully last evening surrounded by loved ones. We appreciate all of the outpouring of love and affection.”

Jordan’s wife, Shirley Yarbrough Jordan, passed away in 1985.

Click ▶️ to listen to Clay Cane’s AURN News report:

FILE – In this July 27, 1977 file photo, Vernon Jordan, President of the National Urban League, talks to reporters during a press conference in Washington. Jordan, who rose from humble beginnings in the segregated South to become a champion of civil rights before reinventing himself as a Washington insider and corporate influencer, died Tuesday, March 2, 2021, according to a statement from his daughter. He was 85. (AP Photo/File)

Clay Cane is an award-winning journalist, writer, radio host, and political commentator. A graduate of Rutgers University with a degree in African-American Studies, his work on race, culture, and politics have appeared in national publications, including the Washington Post, CNN, and The Grio. Clay is a regular political commentator on MSNBC. Twitter: @claycane