The New York Times has considered Vernon E. Jordan—the senior managing director of Lazard Freres and Co LLP—as one of the bestselling writers as well as among the country’s prominent speakers. In this book, he accounts pivotal instances in his life and experiences based on the public speeches he addressed and the leaders and preachers who influenced his work.

Black Americans have always taken pride and depended on the oral tradition such as speeches, storytelling, and preaching in declaring their rights to continue and pay forward their culture and history. Whether on the podium or courtroom, they have seen the power of uniquely delivered speeches that are able to inspire and educate people.

For Vernon E. Jordan Jr., he has followed this Black American tradition since he was a young man and has since given it his personal adaptation; from his profession on the civil rights movements, to the National Urban League and even to appointments of influence at the topmost level of politics and business. Jordan, who is both a friend and sounding board to many presidents, has not once overlooked highly-regarded figures such as Gardner C. Taylor, Wiley Branton, Ruby Hurley, and Martin Luther King Jr. whose oratorical ability inspired him to promote social justice.

The examples these figures demonstrated and the rights they pointed out are greatly mirrored in Vernon Jordan Jr.’s own views. Thus, it makes Make it Plain: Standing Up and Speaking Out not only a book of history, but as well as a quintessence of Black speech at its very best. The book is comprised of the following elements: emotion, controlled force, love of country, upright indignation, and awe in the presence of the God-given trials in the years to come.