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Yvonne Brathwaite Burke, Jet Magazine Cover

Jet magazine cover, Sept. 28, 1972, with color image of Yvonne Brathwaite Burke and text reading, “Women Challenge System In Bids For Congress Seats”/tiles/collection/8/8774.xml
Magazine page spread with three black and white photos and an article by Warren Brown titled, “Women Challenge System In Bids For Congress Seats.” The first photo shows a black and white, head and shoulder, shot of Shirley Chisholm against the Capitol’s East Front with two cars at the steps’ base with the caption, “Congresswoman Chisholm says she welcomes other Black women.” Another photo shows a head and shoulders shot of Yvonne Brathwaite Burke against the California state capitol building with a caption reading, “Mrs. Burke’s state capitol experience would help her in Congress.” A final photo shows Barbara Jordan and Andrew L. Jefferson with their right hands raised, facing each other with a caption reading, “Taking oath as acting governor of Texas for a day from Judge Andrew L. Jefferson last June, State Sen. Jordan is wise in politics.” The article reads, “The U. S. House of Representatives has not been much of a home for Black women. That much has been shown by the struggles of Rep. Shirley Chisholm (D., N. Y.), who has fought for the past three years trying to get the predominantly white male House in order. But things are slowly changing. And, if all happens as expected in the Nov. 7 elections, Mrs. Chisholm will be joined by two more hard-working Black women to help her with the Housekeeping. In random order, the two prospective congresswomen are California State Assemblywoman Yvonne Brathwaite Burke and Texas State Sen. Barbara Jordan. Both women won impressive victories in their respective state Democratic primary elections and both are regarded as shoo-ins in their November races against token Republican opposition. ‘Thank God for that’ said Mrs. Chisholm, rejoicing over the prospect of two more Black women joining her in the House. ‘If I could tell you about the pressures! This business of being ‘first’ places you in such a position that you're damned if you do and damned if you don't,’ said the first Black congresswoman and the first Black woman to seek the Democratic nomination for President. Mrs. Chisholm continued, ‘People expect Herculean things of you because you were able to break through the system and become a first. I have been able to withstand many of the pressures. . . . I have been misunderstood. . . . My life here (in Congress) for the past three years has been exemplified by Black groups wanting me to speak to them, wanting ‘Sister Chisholm’ to bring them a word of inspiration. I couldn't always make the engagements, and many people thought I didn't care. ‘I'm really looking forward to stepping back and letting Barbara and Yvonne take over,’ Mrs. Chisholm said. ‘I don't mind playing second and third fiddle if it lessens the pressures.’ Regardless of who plays what fiddle, the trio of Barbara, Shirley and Yvonne is expected to provide a kind of legislative music never before heard on Capitol Hill. Both first-time congressional candidates, like their senior colleague, are virtuoso politicians. Mrs. Burke—who prefers to use the surname of her husband of four months, businessman William Burke, instead of her politically familiar name of Brathwaite—began her political career as a campaign volunteer for Lyndon Johnson in 1964. Combining that experience with her extensive work as a civil layer, she launched a drive for a seat in the . . .”/tiles/collection/8/8890.xml
Magazine page spread with an article and three black and white photographs. One photo shows Yvonne Brathwaite Burke speaking into a microphone behind a dais with an eagle seal and text reading, “...Democratic National Convention” with caption reading, “Rulings by Mrs. Burke at Democratic convention beat Wallace’s attempt to rewrite platform.” Another photo shows Shirley Chisholm and Ronald Dellums holding hands and leaning in for a kiss with a seated man in the background and a caption reading, “Political romance of lawmakers Shirley Chisholm and Ronald Dellums cooled after he switched his backing to McGovern.” The last photo shows Barbara Jordan holding a bag against a railing in the interior of a high domed space with pilasters, framed portraits, and an arch with the caption, “Spending her last days in her Texas capitol post as senator, Miss Jordan prepares for Washington chores.” Article titled, “Mrs. Burke, A Former Ebony Model, Sees Tough Victory,” reads, “California State Assembly in 1966. She, won, defending ‘a John Birch Society member whose whole campaign was on the basis that I was a Black militant and—naturally—a Communist.’ She thus became the first Black assemblywoman in California. Mrs. Burke, who describes herself as a ‘meticulous, persistent, understated legislator,’ worked four years in the state assembly to get a license-requirement bill passed for board-and-care-facilities, housing children under 16 years old and adults over 65 years old. She also worked hard for ‘women’s rights legislation,’ most notably, for legislation to give women equal commercial credit rights. The 39-year-old California assemblywoman has never lost an election—a record she upheld by defeating childhood friend Los Angeles City Councilman Billy G. Mills in the Democratic congressional primary last June. Mills, who lost the race by 20 percentage points, later announced his support for Mrs. Burke, who faces white Republican businessman Gregg Tria in the upcoming elections. Though she is running in a district that is 50 percent Black and 71 percent Democratic, Mrs. Burke, who rose to national prominence in her recent role as vice chairman of the Democratic National Convention says she has no intention of coasting to victory. ‘We still have to be careful,’ she said. ‘This is a funny election year. The Republicans are more active because of President Nixon’s incumbency.’ The attractive 5-foot, 6-inch, 127-pound assemblywoman, who once modeled for EBONY magazine, is expected to charm stubborn congressmen into seeing her point of view. But she laughs at the expectation. ‘No, no,’ she said. ‘Really, most people who know me know that I work hard on legislation.’ Most people who know Barbara Jordan will say the same thing. The tough lawmaker from a Houston ghetto lost two bids for the Texas state legislature in 1962 and 1964 before defeating white liberal J. C. Whitfield, a former state representative, in a bid for a state senate seat in 1966. The victory made her the first Black state senator in Texas since Reconstruction and the first woman in the state’s history. Since then, Miss Jordan's political career has risen steadily. Shortly after taking office, she was called on to preside over the senate while the lieutenant governor, who normally has the duty, was away on business. She was drafted for the duty repeatedly, and last summer, she became the first Black to be elected president pro tempore for a special session of the Texas Senate. Sen. Jordan, a soft-spoken woman with a subtle, incisive wit, also became the first Black governor of Texas—albeit, she held the office for only a day. The recent occasion was the product of another official absence, that of Texas Gov. Preston Smith and Lt. Gov. Ben. Barnes. Asked how she felt about her governor-for-a-day experience Miss Jordan replied, ‘Someday, I may want to retain the governor’s title for a longer period of time.’ Who knows? If she ever decides to leave her expected berth in Congress to run for governor, Miss Jordan’s state senate record could do nothing but help her. During her tenure, she blocked a discriminatory voter-registration act, gave Texas its first minimum wage bill ($1.25 an hour), and established the state’s Dept. of Community Affairs. ‘I believe in performance,...’/tiles/collection/4/49683.xml
Magazine page spread with the continuation of the article titled, “Mrs. Burke, A Former Ebony Model, Sees Tough Victory,” reading, “...said Miss Jordan, a lawyer-politician with strong, politically lucrative ties to former President Johnson. Her performance paid off. Last May, she garnered 80.6 percent of the votes in a hotly-fought congressional primary battle. Her closest opponent was Black State Rep. Curtis Graves, who charged that she ‘sold out Blacks’ by working with white legislators to create a congressional district favorable to her expected election, at the expense of eliminating the predominantly-Black state senatorial district that sent her to the legislature. Graves accused her of trading her senate seat for a seat in the U. S. House. ‘That's not true,’ Miss Jordan said, responding to Graves' charges in an interview. ‘I believe that if something is not true, then it's not. People will either believe you or not believe you.’ She said Graves ‘brought up the charges many times in the primary election, and I got over 80 percent of the vote (to his 11 percent). . . .That speaks for itself.’ Although Miss Jordan, Mrs. Burke and Mrs. Chisholm have different ideas about what issues will be emphasized in the coming 93rd Congress, they are in general agreement as to what their roles as Black congresswomen should be. Mrs. Burke puts it this way: ‘We will have to represent our constituencies–women, Blacks and our individual (local) constituencies. We will be under a lot of pressure to do that.” Another article with a black and white, head and shoulder, photo captioned “Charles Diggs” accompanies an article titled, “Rep. Diggs To Be 1st Black To Head District Committee,” reads “Rep. Charles C. Diggs Jr. (D., Mich.) next year will become the first Black chairman of the House District Committee—the only one of a possible total of 15 Black lawmakers to hold such a powerful role—and home rule for the District of Columbia's predominantly-Black 800,000 residents may be a notch closer to reality. Digg's elevation to the chairmanship was due to the defeat of 74-year-old Rep. John L. McMillian (D., S. C.) in last week's runoff election. McMillian, with a 34-year Capitol Hill background, was a symbol of the past—an ardent segregationist who used his every skill to sidetrack and embarrass Blacks. Faced with defeat, McMillian, toward the end of the campaign, offered to abolish the District Committee (to stop the chairmanship of Diggs) and also to fight for the passage of a District of Columbia home rule bill (which he had steadfastly opposed throughout his career). What defeated the arch segregationist was the large turnout of Black voters in his district. The election of 36-year-old John J. Jenrette was due to a coalition of Black and young white voters. In the congressional district, comprised of 10 rural counties–and a few small industrial cities—there are about 52,000 registered Black voters, mostly concentrated in four or five counties, including Clarendon. In this county, brave Black parents fought in court to improve their children's education, and the case wound up as one of the five in the historic U. S. Supreme Court school integration decision. Angered by his upset defeat by less than 1,000 votes, McMillian charged that Black voters had been bought out. Black leaders made no on-the-record comments about McMillian, and Del. Walter Fauntroy (D., D. C.) announced that the House District Committee again would take up the matter of a home rule bill. Diggs is expected to chair the House District Committee only until such time as the city receives home rule.” Additional articles include “17 Richmond Va., Stations Cited By Black Coalition" and “Group’s Goal Is $1 Billion To Aid Low-Income Areas.”/tiles/collection/4/49684.xml
Jet magazine cover, Sept. 28, 1972, with color image of Yvonne Brathwaite Burke and text reading, “Women Challenge System In Bids For Congress Seats”
Magazine page spread with three black and white photos and an article by Warren Brown titled, “Women Challenge System In Bids For Congress Seats.” The first photo shows a black and white, head and shoulder, shot of Shirley Chisholm against the Capitol’s East Front with two cars at the steps’ base with the caption, “Congresswoman Chisholm says she welcomes other Black women.” Another photo shows a head and shoulders shot of Yvonne Brathwaite Burke against the California state capitol building with a caption reading, “Mrs. Burke’s state capitol experience would help her in Congress.” A final photo shows Barbara Jordan and Andrew L. Jefferson with their right hands raised, facing each other with a caption reading, “Taking oath as acting governor of Texas for a day from Judge Andrew L. Jefferson last June, State Sen. Jordan is wise in politics.” The article reads, “The U. S. House of Representatives has not been much of a home for Black women. That much has been shown by the struggles of Rep. Shirley Chisholm (D., N. Y.), who has fought for the past three years trying to get the predominantly white male House in order. But things are slowly changing. And, if all happens as expected in the Nov. 7 elections, Mrs. Chisholm will be joined by two more hard-working Black women to help her with the Housekeeping. In random order, the two prospective congresswomen are California State Assemblywoman Yvonne Brathwaite Burke and Texas State Sen. Barbara Jordan. Both women won impressive victories in their respective state Democratic primary elections and both are regarded as shoo-ins in their November races against token Republican opposition. ‘Thank God for that’ said Mrs. Chisholm, rejoicing over the prospect of two more Black women joining her in the House. ‘If I could tell you about the pressures! This business of being ‘first’ places you in such a position that you're damned if you do and damned if you don't,’ said the first Black congresswoman and the first Black woman to seek the Democratic nomination for President. Mrs. Chisholm continued, ‘People expect Herculean things of you because you were able to break through the system and become a first. I have been able to withstand many of the pressures. . . . I have been misunderstood. . . . My life here (in Congress) for the past three years has been exemplified by Black groups wanting me to speak to them, wanting ‘Sister Chisholm’ to bring them a word of inspiration. I couldn't always make the engagements, and many people thought I didn't care. ‘I'm really looking forward to stepping back and letting Barbara and Yvonne take over,’ Mrs. Chisholm said. ‘I don't mind playing second and third fiddle if it lessens the pressures.’ Regardless of who plays what fiddle, the trio of Barbara, Shirley and Yvonne is expected to provide a kind of legislative music never before heard on Capitol Hill. Both first-time congressional candidates, like their senior colleague, are virtuoso politicians. Mrs. Burke—who prefers to use the surname of her husband of four months, businessman William Burke, instead of her politically familiar name of Brathwaite—began her political career as a campaign volunteer for Lyndon Johnson in 1964. Combining that experience with her extensive work as a civil layer, she launched a drive for a seat in the . . .”
Magazine page spread with an article and three black and white photographs. One photo shows Yvonne Brathwaite Burke speaking into a microphone behind a dais with an eagle seal and text reading, “...Democratic National Convention” with caption reading, “Rulings by Mrs. Burke at Democratic convention beat Wallace’s attempt to rewrite platform.” Another photo shows Shirley Chisholm and Ronald Dellums holding hands and leaning in for a kiss with a seated man in the background and a caption reading, “Political romance of lawmakers Shirley Chisholm and Ronald Dellums cooled after he switched his backing to McGovern.” The last photo shows Barbara Jordan holding a bag against a railing in the interior of a high domed space with pilasters, framed portraits, and an arch with the caption, “Spending her last days in her Texas capitol post as senator, Miss Jordan prepares for Washington chores.” Article titled, “Mrs. Burke, A Former Ebony Model, Sees Tough Victory,” reads, “California State Assembly in 1966. She, won, defending ‘a John Birch Society member whose whole campaign was on the basis that I was a Black militant and—naturally—a Communist.’ She thus became the first Black assemblywoman in California. Mrs. Burke, who describes herself as a ‘meticulous, persistent, understated legislator,’ worked four years in the state assembly to get a license-requirement bill passed for board-and-care-facilities, housing children under 16 years old and adults over 65 years old. She also worked hard for ‘women’s rights legislation,’ most notably, for legislation to give women equal commercial credit rights. The 39-year-old California assemblywoman has never lost an election—a record she upheld by defeating childhood friend Los Angeles City Councilman Billy G. Mills in the Democratic congressional primary last June. Mills, who lost the race by 20 percentage points, later announced his support for Mrs. Burke, who faces white Republican businessman Gregg Tria in the upcoming elections. Though she is running in a district that is 50 percent Black and 71 percent Democratic, Mrs. Burke, who rose to national prominence in her recent role as vice chairman of the Democratic National Convention says she has no intention of coasting to victory. ‘We still have to be careful,’ she said. ‘This is a funny election year. The Republicans are more active because of President Nixon’s incumbency.’ The attractive 5-foot, 6-inch, 127-pound assemblywoman, who once modeled for EBONY magazine, is expected to charm stubborn congressmen into seeing her point of view. But she laughs at the expectation. ‘No, no,’ she said. ‘Really, most people who know me know that I work hard on legislation.’ Most people who know Barbara Jordan will say the same thing. The tough lawmaker from a Houston ghetto lost two bids for the Texas state legislature in 1962 and 1964 before defeating white liberal J. C. Whitfield, a former state representative, in a bid for a state senate seat in 1966. The victory made her the first Black state senator in Texas since Reconstruction and the first woman in the state’s history. Since then, Miss Jordan's political career has risen steadily. Shortly after taking office, she was called on to preside over the senate while the lieutenant governor, who normally has the duty, was away on business. She was drafted for the duty repeatedly, and last summer, she became the first Black to be elected president pro tempore for a special session of the Texas Senate. Sen. Jordan, a soft-spoken woman with a subtle, incisive wit, also became the first Black governor of Texas—albeit, she held the office for only a day. The recent occasion was the product of another official absence, that of Texas Gov. Preston Smith and Lt. Gov. Ben. Barnes. Asked how she felt about her governor-for-a-day experience Miss Jordan replied, ‘Someday, I may want to retain the governor’s title for a longer period of time.’ Who knows? If she ever decides to leave her expected berth in Congress to run for governor, Miss Jordan’s state senate record could do nothing but help her. During her tenure, she blocked a discriminatory voter-registration act, gave Texas its first minimum wage bill ($1.25 an hour), and established the state’s Dept. of Community Affairs. ‘I believe in performance,...’
Magazine page spread with the continuation of the article titled, “Mrs. Burke, A Former Ebony Model, Sees Tough Victory,” reading, “...said Miss Jordan, a lawyer-politician with strong, politically lucrative ties to former President Johnson. Her performance paid off. Last May, she garnered 80.6 percent of the votes in a hotly-fought congressional primary battle. Her closest opponent was Black State Rep. Curtis Graves, who charged that she ‘sold out Blacks’ by working with white legislators to create a congressional district favorable to her expected election, at the expense of eliminating the predominantly-Black state senatorial district that sent her to the legislature. Graves accused her of trading her senate seat for a seat in the U. S. House. ‘That's not true,’ Miss Jordan said, responding to Graves' charges in an interview. ‘I believe that if something is not true, then it's not. People will either believe you or not believe you.’ She said Graves ‘brought up the charges many times in the primary election, and I got over 80 percent of the vote (to his 11 percent). . . .That speaks for itself.’ Although Miss Jordan, Mrs. Burke and Mrs. Chisholm have different ideas about what issues will be emphasized in the coming 93rd Congress, they are in general agreement as to what their roles as Black congresswomen should be. Mrs. Burke puts it this way: ‘We will have to represent our constituencies–women, Blacks and our individual (local) constituencies. We will be under a lot of pressure to do that.” Another article with a black and white, head and shoulder, photo captioned “Charles Diggs” accompanies an article titled, “Rep. Diggs To Be 1st Black To Head District Committee,” reads “Rep. Charles C. Diggs Jr. (D., Mich.) next year will become the first Black chairman of the House District Committee—the only one of a possible total of 15 Black lawmakers to hold such a powerful role—and home rule for the District of Columbia's predominantly-Black 800,000 residents may be a notch closer to reality. Digg's elevation to the chairmanship was due to the defeat of 74-year-old Rep. John L. McMillian (D., S. C.) in last week's runoff election. McMillian, with a 34-year Capitol Hill background, was a symbol of the past—an ardent segregationist who used his every skill to sidetrack and embarrass Blacks. Faced with defeat, McMillian, toward the end of the campaign, offered to abolish the District Committee (to stop the chairmanship of Diggs) and also to fight for the passage of a District of Columbia home rule bill (which he had steadfastly opposed throughout his career). What defeated the arch segregationist was the large turnout of Black voters in his district. The election of 36-year-old John J. Jenrette was due to a coalition of Black and young white voters. In the congressional district, comprised of 10 rural counties–and a few small industrial cities—there are about 52,000 registered Black voters, mostly concentrated in four or five counties, including Clarendon. In this county, brave Black parents fought in court to improve their children's education, and the case wound up as one of the five in the historic U. S. Supreme Court school integration decision. Angered by his upset defeat by less than 1,000 votes, McMillian charged that Black voters had been bought out. Black leaders made no on-the-record comments about McMillian, and Del. Walter Fauntroy (D., D. C.) announced that the House District Committee again would take up the matter of a home rule bill. Diggs is expected to chair the House District Committee only until such time as the city receives home rule.” Additional articles include “17 Richmond Va., Stations Cited By Black Coalition" and “Group’s Goal Is $1 Billion To Aid Low-Income Areas.”
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Date

1972-09-28

Publication

Jet

Publisher

Johnson Publishing Company

Dimensions

7 3/8 x 5 1/8 in. (18.7 x 13 cm)

Accession Number

2007.370.000

Credit Line

Collection of the U.S. House of Representatives

Object Details

Yvonne Burke was a rising political star when she appeared on Jet magazine’s September 1972 cover. The accompanying article interviewed Shirley Chisholm, then the only Black woman in U.S. Congress, as well as congressional hopefuls Burke, who went on to represent Los Angeles in the House, and Barbara Jordan, who later represented a Texas district. Burke and Jordan concurred with Chisholm’s appraisal of the pressure of being “firsts.” Chisholm said, “I don’t mind playing second or third fiddle if it lessens the pressure” of being the lone voice for black women in the legislative branch.

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