Janelle Bynum has become the first Black Congress member from Oregon, a state which was created as a white supremacist haven through a series of laws excluding Black people from settling in the state from the 1840s through 1857.
According to The Associated Press, Bynum received support from national Democrats, which helped the party flip the seat back into their control for the first time in 25 years.
Bynum alluded to Oregon’s history in a press conference on Nov. 8.
“It’s not lost on me that I am one generation removed from segregation. It’s not lost on me that we’re making history. And I am proud to be the first, but not the last, Black member of Congress in Oregon.”
Bynum continued, “But it took all of us working together to flip this seat, and we delivered a win for Oregon. We believed in a vision and we didn’t take our feet off the gas until we accomplished our goals.”
Bynum’s opponent, Republican Lori Chavez-DeRemer, conceded the race on Nov. 7.
“I’m deeply grateful for the opportunity I had to serve as Oregonians’ voice in Congress,” Chavez-DeRemer said in a statement on social media. “Although this isn’t the outcome we had hoped for, I’m proud of what we accomplished together.”
According to The New York Times, Bynum’s win is a bright spot in an otherwise awful week of election results for Democrats.
Bynum won her election in large part, reportedly due to her ability to come across to voters in the state as a level-headed leader who is able to work across policy lines.
Bynum also did not shy away from embracing her identity during her campaign.
According to the Oregon Capital Chronicle, Bynum impressed upon reporters that although the race had concluded, the work was just beginning.
“The work is far from over,” Bynum told reporters at her campaign headquarters on Nov. 8. “It’s time that Oregon 5 is represented by a true member of their community, someone who shows up when they’re needed and stands up for them even when the problems are hard. I want every single person in this state to know that their children will be able to build a life here, to afford a house, to get a job that pays well, to build a retirement and to watch their children build their own lives in this state, to know that they are able to give their kids more opportunities than they had themselves.”
The Oregon Legislature’s Black, Indigenous and other People Of Color Caucus congratulated one of their founding members, noting the historical significance of her election.
“When Representative Janelle Bynum first entered the Oregon House of Representatives in 2017, she joined a short list of Black women elected to our state’s legislative assembly,” the caucus said in a statement. “As a founding member of the BIPOC Caucus, she never stopped pushing those in power to work towards a future that acknowledges the lived realities of BIPOC communities.”
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