Edna Gordon

Edna E. Gordon (1909-unknown) served as President of the Garfield-Turner Parent-Teacher Association in the mid 1950s. She presented a statement before the U.S. Senate in 1956 on the need for more teachers and increased funding in Garfield-Turner Elementary School and other Southeast DC schools that were experiencing overcrowding.

Gordon meets the viewer’s gaze through her round, wire-rimmed glasses. Her chin is tucked slightly, and her lips are parted in a faint smile. She wears earrings and a button-down collared shirt, her curly hair parted at the side. These details suggest a professionalism that is simultaneously warm and inviting.

Though little is known about Gordon’s life or impact on the Anacostia community, in 1977, the Anacostia Neighborhood Museum’s Board of Directors voted to include Gordon’s portrait in “Phil Ratner’s Washington,” an exhibition honoring current and former Anacostia residents who contributed to the civic life of the community.