Sen. Marie Pinkney represents the 13th District, which stretches from the Christiana River south to Porter Road and encompasses dozens of neighborhoods along U.S. Route 13, Del. Route 7, and U.S. Route 40.
Raised by her great aunt in Wilmington and New Castle, Pinkney graduated from Howard High School of Technology. She earned her bachelor’s degree in social work from Norfolk State University and a master’s degree in social work from Delaware State University
After graduate school, she began working at a treatment center for adolescents with mental health and substance abuse issues. She also became the foster mother to a teen mother and her young son for many years.
Sen. Pinkney worked as a social worker/case manager at ChristinaCare until 2024, when she left to pursue a second master’s degree in Africana Studies from the University of Delaware. She has dedicated her career to advocating alongside families seeking quality healthcare, access to resources, educational support, and government policies that support them.
Sen. Pinkney became the first African American LGBTQ+ person ever elected to the Delaware Senate in 2020. She is dedicated to fighting the negative impacts of racial and socioeconomic inequalities, as well as the stigmas and hurdles faced by formerly justice-involved individuals and those with limited educational backgrounds.
She currently serves as chair of the Senate Corrections & Public Safety Committee, vice chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee and a member of the Senate Executive, Health & Social Services, and Housing & Land Use committees. She also holds a seat on the Joint Capital Improvement Committee.
Sen. Pinkney lives in Bear with her with her wife and their German Shepherd Gandhi and cat Penelope, aka Penny Proud.
Education
Howard High School of Technology, Class of 2008; Bachelor’s degree, Social Work, Norfolk State University, 2013; Master’s degree, Social Work, Delaware State University, 2014
Occupation
Social worker/Case manager, ChristianaCare
Legislative Service:
Senate, 2020 to present
Committees:
- Corrections & Public Safety, Chair
- Agriculture, Vice-Chair
- Joint Capital Improvement, Member
- Executive, Member
- Health & Social Services, Member
- Housing & Land Use, Member
Legislative Highlights
Senate Bill 105
Women in Delaware now have significantly greater access to contraceptive pills, patches, vaginal rings, injectables and other birth control medications thanks to legislation passed by Sen. Marie Pinkney. Six decades after the pill was first approved by the FDA, nearly […]
Senate Bill 144
Sen. Marie Pinkney modernized Delaware’s hate crime statute and closed a longstanding loophole that allowed some perpetrators of hate crimes to evade stiffer penalties. Passed with bipartisan support, Senate Bill 144 made clear that hate crimes include instances motivated by […]
Senate Bill 316
The 1 in 10 Delawareans who have been diagnosed with diabetes are now better able to manage their chronic health condition thanks to legislation passed by Sen. Marie Pinkney that made equipment and supplies significantly more affordable. Following on the […]
Senate Bill 13
Formerly justice-involved people who are now seeking a second chance at life have greater access to higher education thanks to legislation passed by Sen. Marie Pinkney. Senate Bill 13, also known as the Ban the Box Act, prevents Delaware’s higher […]
