The Center for Women’s Leadership at Portland State University is hosting an event to celebrate the history-making leadership of former Governor Barbara Roberts and the release of her new book, A Voice for Equity (NewSage Press, 2022).
The public is welcome to attend the event on Saturday, April 16, 1 p.m. at the Oregon Historical Society. Gov. Roberts will speak and be available to sign copies of the book.
Roberts, Oregon’s 34th Governor, has been advocating for equity since the first time she spoke up for her autistic son’s educational rights while attending a local school board meeting. This began her career as a public advocate, leading to her political work for more than 50 years and her reputation as a strong advocate for numerous causes; disability rights, women’s rights, LGBTQ rights, environmental concerns, death with dignity rights, equality and respect for all, and more.
Today at 85 years old, Roberts continues to speak publicly and passionately, a voice for equity. Her new book, A Voice for Equity, is a collection of 22 of Roberts’ most compelling speeches spanning her years in public service, including her term as Oregon’s Governor.
“I hope my passion comes through to you, the reader,” Roberts says in her author’s note. “Please sense my urgency of message. Be open to making change. Be the voice.”
Roberts attended Portland State University from 1961 to 1964 and she was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Letters in 2007. She was elected to the Oregon House of Representatives in 1980, becoming the first woman to serve as majority leader. She then was elected to two terms as Oregon’s Secretary of State and in 1990 was elected as Oregon’s first woman Governor.
After leaving office in 1995, Roberts took a position at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government and was a senior fellow to Harvard's Women and Public Policy Program. In 1998, she was named associate director of leadership development at Portland State University's Hatfield School of Government and was a Metro councilor in 2011-2012.
Roberts was instrumental in creating the Center for Women’s Leadership at Portland State, which offers leadership training for non-binary and female-identifying students across Oregon with the aim of developing the state’s future leaders.
Portland State University Library Special Collections is the proud steward of the Governor Barbara Roberts Papers, an extensive collection of manuscripts, correspondence, drafts of speeches, public presentations, press releases, newsletters, photographs, scrapbooks, clippings, recordings and other resources related to Gov. Roberts’s life and career.