Pam Patton Learning Center Dedication

Thank you to the Oregon Youth Authority for inviting me to participate in today’s ceremony and to help honor my friend Pam Patton. Adding Pam’s name to Oak Creek’s learning center is truly awesome. What a fitting honor to an amazing advocate for girls and young women.

For decades, Pam Patton has been dedicated to improving the lives of girls and young women who are in the state’s care, who trust us to do right by them. I met Pam before I entered elected public service, more than twenty years ago. We both advocated on children’s issues, and Pam focused on gender equity for girls in the foster care system, the juvenile justice system, and other systems of care.

 

Pam saw something that put her well ahead of her time:  our juvenile justice institutions were not built for girls. They were not built to serve their needs, keep them healthy, or generate opportunities to overcome their circumstances. And Pam would not stand for it.   

She championed the passage of the Equal Access Law in 1993. Today, Oregon is still the only state in the nation with a law on the books that requires all state agencies that serve youth under 18 to provide gender-specific services, treatment and facilities.

Pam has been a leader in securing Oregon’s gender-responsible services. She worked to create the first transition program for young women and the establishment of the very facility we are in right now: the Oak Creek Youth Correctional Facility, Oregon’s first facility designed specifically for young women.

 

I knew about Oak Creek because of Pam. I fought for funding for Oak Creek because of Pam. Pam was – and is – tenacious. She knows how to effectively and authentically use her voice on behalf of others, especially those that do not have the ability to walk the halls of the Capitol and speak for themselves. 

I’m thrilled that the State of Oregon is dedicating this learning center to Pam’s legacy. The Pam Patton Learning Center will serve as a tribute to a woman who bettered the lives of countless girls and young women here in Oregon.

The center is about hope and possibility. It is a tribute to the belief that every single child is full of promise. And the belief that we all have a responsibility to help ensure a future of promise for every child. This center will serve as a lasting reminder of Pam’s vision and dedication. All of Oregon owes a debt of gratitude to Pam for her advocacy and leadership. 

Thank you.