[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 46 (Thursday, March 12, 2026)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E210-E211]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
HONORING THE LIFE OF LATE OREGON STATE SENATOR AVEL GORDLY
______
HON. JANELLE S. BYNUM
of oregon
in the house of representatives
Thursday, March 12, 2026
Ms. BYNUM. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of a mentor
and true friend, Oregon State Senator Avel Gordly. Senator Gordly, the
first Black woman to serve in the chamber, brought a presence that was
regal and distinctive. Sadly, her tenure as an elected Black Oregonian
was so rare that when she came to visit me on the House floor, many in
the chamber thought she was a relative rather than the esteemed public
servant who had dedicated and delivered so much to Oregon. I will miss
her phone calls, her inspirational texts, and most of all, her high
expectations of me. I include in the Record the following obituary as
an esteemed account of Senator Gordly's impressive life:
February 13, 1947-February 16, 2026
Avel Louise Gordly was born February 13, 1947, and was a
daughter of Fay Lee Gordly and Beatrice Bernice Coleman
Gordly, a sister to Fayetta (Faye) Burch and Tyrone Lee
Gordly. She was the mother of one son, Tyrone Waters, whose
loving care enabled Avel to live comfortably and peacefully
at home during the last years of her life. She is also
[[Page E211]]
survived by her niece, Michelle Burch, and her great-nieces,
Yasmin Woodard and Mikaela Woodard. Avel grew up in Northeast
Portland, where the seeds of her activism were sown early by
her mother and father, her grandmothers Alberta Randolph and
Lessie Gordly, and by the women in her community.
Avel was committed to building. serving, and celebrating
the Beloved Community, a central tenet of Dr. Martin Luther
King Jr's leadership. A few weeks ago, Avel said she wanted
to be remembered as a Brown Girl from Northeast Portland who
believed in justice, hard work, and taking care of each
other. At every stage of her remarkable life of service, Avel
communicated what she believed through well-chosen words and
through how she showed up for others. In the Oregon
Legislature, with her students at Portland State University,
in her faith community, in her many mentoring relationships
and friendships, Avel conveyed what a former legislative
colleague described as ``a moral clarity'' and what one
mentee described as ``a warm embrace.''
After graduating from her neighborhood elementary school,
Avel attended Girls Polytechnic High School. As one of the
few Black students, this was her first experience of being in
an environment that did not welcome her presence, actively
encourage her learning, or value her intellect. She felt the
contrast between the warmth and affirmation of her early
years in Portland's Black community and her experience in a
mostly white environment. It was during these years that Avel
became aware of racism and developed ways to succeed despite
ever-present barriers to achievement. Although she felt like
an ``alien, in unwelcome territory'' at Girls Polytechnic
High School, with her mother's help, Avel resisted being
steered into vocational education classes and instead
enrolled in academic and business courses. Her advocacy and
preparation led to her first job after high school at Pacific
Northwest Bell. Even though it was a good job with benefits,
Avel was eager to work for the betterment of her community.
She enrolled at Portland State University, where she was
active in Black Cultural Affairs and the Black Liberation
movement while earning a degree in the Administration of
Justice. While at Portland State, she participated in
Operation Crossroads Africa, student exchange program that
brought her to Nigeria, Benin, Togo, the Ivory Coast, and
Ghana. This trip to Africa was transformational, broadening
her horizons as she experienced life outside of the United
States in countries where she was no longer a minority. This
was the beginning of her a love of African history and
culture. Her reverence for Black history and culture was
reflected in the art and books she collected and shared
throughout her life.
Returning to Oregon, Avel continued her advocacy. As a
member of the Oregon Chapter of the Black United Front (BUF),
she coordinated the BUF's Saturday School. Working with the
American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), Avel helped secure
key anti-apartheid victories in Oregon and during the 1980s
and ran programs for the Urban League and the House of Umoja
to provide opportunities for youth in North and Northeast
Portland.
Avel's entry into political life came at the urging of
those in her community and felt like an extension of work to
which she was already committed. As someone who did not seek
the limelight, she learned the power of well-prepared,
respectful, and clear communication to change minds, hearts,
and, importantly, laws. Initially appointed as a State
representative in 1991, Ave was subsequently elected to serve
three terms in the Oregon Legislature. As an elected
official, she focused on building relationships with her
colleagues on both sides of the aisle and statewide. As she
gained confidence and realized the power of her voice, she
modeled both courage and vulnerability in her leadership.
These qualities made her a trustworthy and valued colleague
in the Legislature and in the Black Community.
In 1996, Avel was elected to the Oregon State Senate and
became the first Black Woman to serve in that chamber. She
was known as the ``conscience of the Senate'' because of her
integrity and the mutual respect she shared with her
colleagues. During her twelve years in the Senate, she made
an indelible mark on Oregon. She sponsored the 2001 Senate
Joint Resolution 31, which officially recognized Juneteenth
in Oregon. She was the chief petitioner in 2002 for Oregon
Ballot Measure 14, a constitutional amendment that removed
racially discriminatory language from the Oregon
Constitution, and for Measure 25, which raised Oregon's
minimum wage. She brought a statewide focus on the health
concerns of Oregon's Black, Indigenous, Latino, and Asian
communities by forming the Racial and Ethnic Health Task
Force and the Environmental Justice Committee. Her personal
experiences and legislative acumen spurred her push for State
Hospital Reform and to establish the Avel Gordly Center for
Healing at Oregon Health and Science University to help
address the gaps in access to mental health services in the
Black community.
After retiring from the legislature, Avel began teaching as
an associate professor in the Black Studies Department at
Portland State. Pouring into students' lives and curating
learning opportunities that connected them to Portland's
Black community and to national and international movements
inspired her. In 2011, she co-authored, with Patricia A
Schecter, her memoir, Remembering the Power of Words, where
she courageously opened up about her experiences of
depression. She received an honorary Doctor of Letters from
Portland State University in 2017. Avel participated in the
African American Alliance and sat on the board of the
Portland African American Leadership Forum. She generously
offered her thoughts on political strategy and endorsed
candidates. She was committed to mentoring emerging Black
leaders and encouraging them to shine. Her commitment to
supporting generations of new leaders has been
institutionalized in the Avel Gordly Scholarship for Black
Women. She valued her lifelong friends and the close, loving
relationships she nurtured with women of the next two
generations, who lovingly called her ``Mama Avel.'' The love
she gave and received from her community filled her heart
with joy. She was a loving aunt, great-aunt, and an honorary
grandmother. She was gratified to spend her final years with
her son Tyrone, enjoying morning coffees, healing
conversations, and prayer times together.
Avel's life and legacy teach us that in alignment with
one's divine purpose, ordinary people can make an
extraordinary difference in changing institutions, healing
lives, and making the world a better place.
____________________