Join us virtually to celebrate Avel Louise Gordly's 75th birthday! This Women’s History Month celebration will feature readings of Avel Louise Gordly's memoir, Remembering the Power of Words, written with Patricia A. Schechter. Gordly was the first African American woman elected to the Oregon State Senate and is a longtime activist and community leader. Sections of Gordly's memoir will be read by Dr. S. Renee Mitchell, Antoinette Myers Perry, Ed.D., and Latricia Tillman. This event is jointly organized by the History Department at Portland State University, the Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies program at Oregon State University, and Oregon State University Press. It will be held virtually through Zoom and books will be available for sale through Third Eye Books and Gifts, Portland's only black-owned bookstore.