Danielle Walker is a civil rights leader, mother, and fiercely determined advocate. She was named executive director in spring of 2023.
The New Iberia, Louisiana, native found herself drawn into politics after the deadly racist violence at the 2017 Unite the Right Rally in Charlottesville. She began attending community meetings and giving impassioned speeches for change in Morgantown and around the state. But even before that, she was always busy organizing her neighbors in subsidized housing to carpool to foodbanks and helping them navigate resources like social services and employment opportunities.
Prior to becoming the first Black woman to lead the ACLU of West Virginia, Danielle was the sole Black woman and sole member of the LGBTQ+ community in the West Virginia Legislature. She served two and a half terms representing the 51st and 81st districts, which cover a large portion of Morgantown and Monongalia County.
She also previously served as the interim executive director of Call to Action for Racial Equality (CARE) and as a direct care worker.
She volunteers with various community organizations including Mon Valley Habitat for Humanity, and has served on the boards of the National Organization for Women, NAACP Branch #3241, Morgantown Area Youth Services Project, North Central West Virginia Independent Living, Mountain State Justice, and WV Read Aloud.
Danielle is the recipient of numerous awards including inclusion in WV Living Magazine’s 2018 list of Wonder Women, Rainbow Pride of West Virginia’s 2019 Power of One Award, the 2019 Martin Luther King Humanitarian Award from Greater St. Paul AME Church, ACLU-WV’s 2022 Roger Baldwin Award for service to the state, the 2022 Planned Parenthood Reproductive State Legislative Champion Award, and the 2022 Repro Health Hero Award from Women’s Health Center of West Virginia.
She considers her grandmothers, mother, father, and two sons her biggest inspirations.