LINDSAY POWELL, RIGHT, HANDILY WON THE SPECIAL ELECTION FOR THE HOUSE DISTRICT 21 SEAT, SEPT. 19. (PHOTO BY ROB TAYLOR JR.)
First Black woman to serve in heavily White district
The Democrats have control of the Pennsylvania State House once again, and it’s thanks to a Black woman.
Lindsay Powell, 32, a New York City native who has made Pittsburgh her home for the past 10 years, made history as the first Black woman to represent House District 21, handily winning a special election on Sept. 19 over her Republican counterpart, Erin Connolly Autenrieth. The special election was due to state Rep. Sara Innamorato resigning to focus on winning her bid for Allegheny County Chief Executive in the upcoming November General Election.
Powell, a New Pittsburgh Courier “Fab 40 under 40” honoree in 2019, declared victory around 8:45 p.m., 45 minutes after the polls closed. District 21 is a heavily White district, with neighborhoods like Lawrenceville, the Strip District, Troy Hill and Polish Hill, and municipalities like Shaler, Etna, Millvale, and Reserve Township. It’s a stark contrast to, say, District 24, which is represented by another Black woman, state Rep. LaTasha Mayes. District 24 has East Liberty, Lincoln-Lemington and Homewood, among other East End areas.
“I’ve always been very passionate about doing good work for our community,” Powell told the Courier at her election watch party at Rear End Gastropub & Garage, in Etna. “When the opportunity arose where I could pair my lived experience with my passion for doing good work and my background in policy-making, I was really excited about the opportunity to serve my community in this way.”
LINDSAY POWELL, WITH KHARI MOSLEY. (PHOTO BY ROB TAYLOR JR.)
Powell was joined by a number of Black supporters at the election watch party, including former Wilkinsburg Mayor Marita Garrett, current House District 19 state Rep. Aerion Abney (who represents the Hill District and parts of the North Side, among other neighborhoods), and soon-to-be District 9 Pittsburgh City Councilman Khari Mosley.
Powell will be on her way to Harrisburg in October. When she gets there, fellow legislators better not challenge her intelligence. Powell has an educational resume that might make her rich on the game show Jeopardy! —a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Wheaton College (Massachusetts), a Master of Science in Public Policy Management from Carnegie University Heinz College, and she was a Fulbright Scholar, which took her to the Asian country of Malaysia to teach English in rural high schools.
LINDSAY POWELL, A COURIER FAB 40 HONOREE IN 2019
Powell told the Courier she wants to continue the fight for “dignified affordable housing, a strong, equitable local economy that works for all of us, as well as beautiful community assets that we can all enjoy.”
As far as regaining the majority in the state House, she wants to continue Democrats’ fights for reproductive freedom, rights for LGBTQIA members, and the Black Lives Matter movement.
“There’s so much at stake right now and I’m so excited to bring my passion and my experience to this role and to Harrisburg,” Powell said.
Powell will finish out Rep. Innamorato’s term, which runs until the end of 2024. Powell is already gearing up for the May 2024 Primary Election, of which she’ll look to win the Democratic nomination. Winning the Democratic nomination in such a Democratic district would essentially make her the District 21 representative through the end of 2026.
Powell may be most familiar to people in her former role as Assistant Chief of Staff for former Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto. She then became Director of Workforce Strategies for InnovatePGH, in Oakland. Before she landed in Pittsburgh full-time, Powell worked in local politics for the City Council of New York.
“This is not a moment, it’s a movement,” Powell told the Courier as she recognized she’d be the first Black woman to hold the District 21 seat. She also recognized other Black women like U.S. Rep. Summer Lee and Rep. Mayes for their tireless efforts in Harrisburg, and, for Congresswoman Lee, in Washington, D.C. “I recognize every single day we don’t do this alone; we stand on the shoulders of those who came before us, and this is again not just about me, it’s about them, and the young women and Black women who are looking at this moment thinking about themselves and their space in this world.”
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