In May 2022, many women across the country were first stunned — and then motivated to act — after historic news: A leaked memo revealed a majority of the U.S. Supreme Court privately had voted to strike down Roe v. Wade, the landmark legal case that had guaranteed a constitutional right to abortion for half a century.
About 2,500 Utahns responded at the “Bans off our Beehive” rally, organized by Natalie Pinkney, who was then vice chair of South Salt Lake’s City Council.
Nearly 2½ years later, Pinkney is part of another historic moment: Voters chose her last month to serve on the Salt Lake County Council, making her the first Black elected official to hold countywide office in Utah’s most populous county — in a state that’s 75% white.
“I’m representing a part of Utah that people don’t really see, but that is here,” Pinkney said, “and I think that is beautiful.”
She won a nail-biter
In January, Pinkney will take on representing the council’s at-large “C” seat, replacing longtime council member Jim Bradley, who served in the position since the county began its current form of government in 2001. On her way to victory, Pinkney secured nearly 51% of the vote in a tight contest against Republican challenger Rachelle Morris.
The two met for a bipartisan lunch after the election, Morris reported on Instagram, and the GOP candidate offered Pinkney her “skills and talents” as the Democratic victor undertakes her historic tenure.
For her part, Pinkney is eager to bring new life to the position as a 31-year-old — the average age of Utah residents.
“I’m happy to be able to represent everyone [whether] they look like me or don’t look like me or like what I like,” Pinkney said. “… It’s important to make sure that all communities feel like they’re being seen, and they’re being heard. And I’m excited to be that voice and to be that ear.
During her upcoming six-year council term, Pinkney aims to inspire residents to get civically involved. Local government is the first to respond to issues like homelessness and housing, she noted, and community input is crucial.
“I’m a big believer in, if we can help those in the margins… who are [usually] the most vulnerable in our community, we help everyone — because then we understand the gaps,” Pinkney said. “There are not just gaps for low income, there are gaps for middle class, there are gaps for high income. There’s a diversity of our community in Salt Lake County, and so many stories of families who have tried to do so much and don’t know where else to turn.”
Her pioneering roots
Pinkney’s personal journey mirrors that of Utah’s Mormon pioneers. Her family migrated from the South to Illinois, then to the West to find, she said, “a place where they could belong.”
As she takes office, she hopes to show her constituents that the county she has called home for the past 10 years is a place where anyone can belong.
“I know what it means to be in a neighborhood that’s ignored. I know what it means to be in a place where you don’t know what the future might hold. I know what it means to feel stuck,” Pinkney said. “I understand because if I haven’t gone through it, I know there’s someone in my family that’s gone through it, and that’s why I’ve been so authentic to give my story.”
To build a better future, Pinkney said, she plans to promote government efficiency, empower working families, and be transparent on any plans requiring taxpayer funds. In her four years on South Salt Lake’s City Council, Pinkney said, she found that focusing on issues like these on the smaller municipal scale can often be more important than tackling those on the larger national stage.
Constituents need elected officials who take bold, visible action, Pinkney said. And those leaders are out there, she added, she said. Residents just won’t hear about them on CNN or Fox News like they do with federal officials.
“Those two years [since 2022] showed me that we needed more leaders who were willing to be in the community, willing to knock on doors, willing to host rallies, to be a voice not afraid to speak up,” Pinkney said. “I wanted to do that now for the county.”
Editor’s note • This story is available to Salt Lake Tribune subscribers only. Thank you for supporting local journalism.
