Howard University will rename its law school library to honor Vernon E. Jordan, Jr., the university announced in a statement released today. Jordan, who passed away last week at age 85, was a Howard Law alumnus who went on to be a seminal figure in the civil rights movement and a high-profile fixture in Washington.
The lawyer served as an adviser to President Bill Clinton, CEO and president of the National Urban League, and executive director of the United Negro College Fund, among other positions. Early in his career, Jordan worked on the case to desegregate the University of Georgia, and he was later Georgia field director of the NAACP.
The Vernon E. Jordan, Jr., Esq. Law Library (previously known as the Howard University School of Law Library) is located on the law school’s Van Ness campus.
Mimi Montgomery joined Washingtonian in 2018. She’s written for The Washington Post, Garden & Gun, Outside Magazine, Washington City Paper, DCist, and PoPVille. Originally from North Carolina, she now lives in Del Ray.
