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| In 1953, Jordan enrolled at Barnard College. Two years later, she married Michael Meyer, a student. While her husband completed graduate studies at the University of Chicago, Jordan continued her studies there until 1956 when she went to Barnard College, where she remained until February 1957. In 1958, she gave birth to her only child, Christopher David Meyer. Being in an interracial marriage in the 1950's was especially difficult due to societal attitudes and laws. In 1965, Jordan's marriage ended in divorce and Jordan faced the trials of being a single, working mother and forming her identity. |
| June Jordan, a native-born New Yorker, entered the world on July 9, 1936. She grew up in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. During her high school years, Jordan was "completely immersed in a white universe" as a student at Milwood High School and Northfield School for girls in Massachusetts. At Northfield, Jordan "discovered her poetic voice." Jordan's home situation was a source of conflict and anguish because of her father's physical abuse and her mother's denial. This environment resulted in Jordan's writing extensively about her parents and their positive and negative influences. |
| June Jordan |
| Background Information: |
| Jordan is an African American author who investigates both social and personal concerns through poetry, essays, and drama. Jordan is best known for her poetry, which has been noted for its range of emotions. Her works create conflict prior to optimism. Equally, some of her poetry, such as Passion: New Poems, has been criticized for its radical stance. In discussing her poetry, Jordan states, "I expect a distinctively Black poem to speak for me as-part-of-an-us." Jordan has also been a significant contributor to children's literature. In her children's literature, she does not patronize young readers, but places emphasis on social realities and survival in a racist society. Her honors include a Rockefeller Foundation grant, the National Association of Black Journalists Award, and fellowships from the Massachusetts Council on the Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the New York Foundation for the Arts. She is a professor at the University of California, Berkeley*. |
| Zelda Beckford AFAM 398.01 April 30, 2002 |
| "Jordan, June". Encyclop�dia Britannica, <http://www.britannica.com/eb/article?eu=2881> picture |
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