Collection close-up: Sen. Marie Pinkney donations
By Elizabeth Coulter, curator of collections for the Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs
The Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs currently has around 100,000 objects in the Historic Collection. Among them is now a small collection of newly accessioned objects from Sen. Marie Pinkney, the first openly queer Black woman ever elected to the Delaware Senate.
In 2020, Pinkney defeated one of the longest-serving state lawmakers in Delaware history to represent the 13th District in Delaware, which encompasses an area from the Christina River south to Red Lion Road. Her political victory marked a historic moment for the state during a primary season in which she was among about 850 LGBTQ+ candidates nationwide running for public elected office. Pinkney and two other Delaware candidates, Sen. Sarah McBride and Rep. Eric Morrison, also won their elections as open LGBTQ+ candidates.
Pinkney earned 52.4% of the vote in the primary to defeat former Sen. David McBride, who was first elected to the state Senate in 1980.
Pinkney now is working to make the elements of her campaign platform a reality. In her role as Senator, she fights against racial and socio-economic inequalities and advocates for quality healthcare, resource accessibility and educational support for Delawareans. Her platform also emphasizes the COVID-19 response plan, addressing gun violence and environmental justice.
She currently serves as chair of the Senate Corrections & Public Safety Committee, vice chair of the Senate Housing Committee, vice chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee, a member of the Senate Health Committee and a member of the Senate Environment & Energy Committee.
She said her work can be challenging at times, so she takes steps to ground herself. She occasionally turns to “Between the World and Me” by Ta-Nehisi Coates. She also references a list that sits on her desk of influential people and their qualities that she admires:
- Nikki Giovanni — fierce
- Angela Davis — wisdom
- Toni Morrison — eloquence
- James Baldwin — courage
- Nicole Hannah-Jones — don’t take no shit
- Ava DuVernay — meticulous
- Ayanna Pressley-Grace — graceful
- Cori Bush — persist
- Shirley Chisholm — legacy
These donated objects speak to her personal process and drive.
Also anticipated to be added to the collection is a campaign sign and the suit she wore while being sworn in, which will commemorate her historic campaign and the moment in 2020 that she entered elected office in Delaware. Also included is her vote count document for Senate Bill 13, which speaks to her stance as a senator in Delaware.
Senator Pinkney served as the primary sponsor for Senate Bill 13, along with state Rep. Melissa Minor-Brown and state Rep. Sherry Dorsey Walker. The bill amended Title 14 of the Delaware Code relating to education. It is considered a “Ban the Box” policy, removing “questions regarding one’s criminal conviction on a college or job application.” This bill, signed into law on June 30, 2022, promotes diversity and inclusivity by dismantling boundaries to higher education.
The Division currently accepts donations to the collection. The curatorial team has actively sought out objects that represent important moments in recent history, and this collection of objects reflects the agency’s efforts to participate in “rapid response collecting.”
As the Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs’s Curator of Collections, Elizabeth Coulter participates in developing and installing exhibitions, developing and presenting educational programs, providing access to the collections, collaborating with partnering organizations and expanding the profile and use of the collections. She holds a bachelor’s degree in art history and American studies from Rutgers University and a master’s degree in decorative arts history from George Mason University and the Smithsonian Associates.