From Vernon Jordan’s modest origins to national renown as a distinguished, pioneering attorney, businessman and civil rights leader; and as an influential powerbroker and counselor to American presidents spanning the era from LBJ to Barack Obama. Jordan, 85, a partner at corporate law firm Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld achieved extraordinary success throughout his career endeavors, paving the way for people of color in the realms of business, law and politics.

Through personal recollections, interviews with colleagues, friends and family; access to his ongoing social justice work; and archival footage; the documentary tells the story of Jordan’s early life in the segregated South and residence in America’s first African-American housing project; his service at the nation’s leading civil rights organizations and survival of an assassin’s bullet, and his success in the corridors of power. Foremost, the film illuminates Jordan’s lifelong dedication and significant contributions to the fight for civil rights and Black economic advancement ― including his participation in a lawsuit against the University of Georgia for discriminatory admissions policies; his work as a field director for the NAACP and director of the Voter Education Project; and his leadership of the United Negro College Fund and the National Urban League. Tracking his meteoric rise to power and fortune, and the sacrifices he made along the way, Vernon Jordan: Make It Plain follows one man’s attainment of the American dream as he achieved success on his own terms.

Vernon Jordan: Make It Plain is a production of Trilogy Films LLC, presented by WETA Washington, D. C., directed by Dawn Porter, produced by Miriam Weintraub and Jennifer Oko. Executive Producer for WETA is Jeff Bieber. Funding provided by JustFilms and The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.