The sixth annual Nancy Hanks Lecture on Arts and Public Policy was presented by the American Council for the Arts, at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Eisenhower Theater, Washington, DC, March 16, 1993. The lecturer, Barbara Jordan said, "the primary thesis of my remarks today is that the arts, instead of quaking along the periphery of our policy concerns, must push boldly into the core of policy. The arts are a response to our individuality and our nature and help to shape our identity. The arts are not a frill and should not be treated as such. They have the potential to become the driving force for healing division and divisiveness." (p. 2)

The Honorable Barbara Jordan held the Lyndon B. Johnson Centennial Chair in National Policy at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas in Austin. From 1972 to 1978, she represented the 18th District of Texas in the United States Congress, where she helped enact into law major civil rights legislation. Jordan achieved national recognition as a member of the House Committee on the Judiciary when it moved to impeach President Nixon in 1974. She served on several corporate boards and received more than 25 awards and honors. Jordan was a founder and board member of People for the American Way. Barbara Jordan died in 1996.

The sixth annual Nancy Hanks Lecture on Arts and Public Policy was presented by the American Council for the Arts, at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Eisenhower Theater, Washington, DC, March 16, 1993. The lecturer, Barbara Jordan said, "the primary thesis of my remarks today is that the arts, instead of quaking along the periphery of our policy concerns, must push boldly into the core of policy. The arts are a response to our individuality and our nature and help to shape our identity. The arts are not a frill and should not be treated as such. They have the potential to become the driving force for healing division and divisiveness." (p. 2)