February 19, 2026
Avel Gordly, Oregon’s First Black Woman Senator, Dies At 79
The trailblazing activist, politician, and menstrual health advocate leaves a lasting legacy of public service.
Avel Gordly, who made history as the first Black woman elected to Oregon’s state senate, has died. She was 79.
The beloved politician and civil rights activist died of natural causes in her home on Feb. 16.
In 1991, Gordly began serving in the Oregon House of Representatives. She served three terms, representing parts of north and northeast Portland. In 1996, she was elected to the State Senate, where she served until 2009.
During her time in the state senate, Gordly worked to remove laws from the state constitution that banned Black people from settling in Oregon. She sponsored Senate Bill 300, also known as the Expanded Options Bill.
The legislation allows Oregon high school students to take courses at local colleges and earn college credit while still in high school. In addition to advocating for educational initiatives, Gordly championed mental health and social justice reform. She served as co-chair of Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber’s Task Force on Racial and Ethnic Health.
Additionally, she advocated for the state to recognize Juneteenth as a holiday. She also collaborated with community leaders to push for the creation of Harriet Tubman Middle School in Portland.
“She worked really hard to get Tubman Middle School into our neighborhood,” Lakeitha Elliott told KPTV News.”
Elliot, who describes Gordly as both “a mother and a mentor,” reflected on their final conversation. She recalled Gordly expressing pride in her “community daughters,” and in the values she had helped instill in them.
“I think she went trusting that the community was in good hands because of the mentorship that she provided to us,“ Elliot said.
In 2009, Gordly retired from public office and became an associate professor in the Black Studies Department at Portland State University, her alma mater. In 2017, she received an honorary Doctor of Letters from the same institution.
U.S. Rep. Janelle Bynum took to Instagram to reflect on the legacy of the former senator, who she called a “mentor and a true friend.”
“I knew I was standing on the shoulders of a giant. Sadly, her tenure as an elected Black Oregonian was so rare that many in the chamber thought she was a relative rather than the esteemed public servant who had dedicated and delivered so much to Oregon,” Bynum wrote.
Avel Gordly leaves behind a son, Tyrone Wayne Waters; a sister, Faye Burch; and many family members and friends.
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