Donna Edwards
A former aerospace engineer who became a forceful voice for progressive values and campaign finance reform in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Born 1958 (age 68)·American politician·Birthday: June 28·Baby Boomers
Biography
Donna Edwards’s path to Congress was anything but conventional. Before entering politics, she worked as a project manager for Lockheed Martin and later became a leading advocate for domestic violence survivors, co-founding the National Network to End Domestic Violence. Her 2008 special election victory to represent Maryland’s 4th district was a breakthrough, making her the first African American woman to represent the state in Congress. In Washington, she carved out a reputation as an unapologetic progressive, championing issues like net neutrality, public financing of elections, and economic justice. Her tenure, marked by a direct and sometimes impatient style, reflected a career built on turning advocacy into tangible policy, fundamentally shaping the Democratic Party's left flank.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Donna was born in 1958, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Donna Was Born
The biggest hits of 1958
#1 Movie
South Pacific
Best Picture
Gigi
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Donna's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1958Born
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1963Started school
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1971Became a teenager
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1974Could drive
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1976Could vote
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1979Turned 21
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1988Turned 30
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1998Turned 40
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2008Turned 50
Barack Obama elected first Black US president; financial crisis
Gas: $3.27/galHome: $153,100Min wage: $6.55/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Low" — Flo RidaBest Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
2018Turned 60
Royal wedding of Harry and Meghan; Parkland shooting
Gas: $2.72/galHome: $211,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"God's Plan" — DrakeBest Picture: Green Book
2026Age 68 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Became the first African American woman to represent Maryland in the United States Congress.
- Co-founded the National Network to End Domestic Violence and helped pass the landmark Violence Against Women Act.
- Served as the U.S. Representative for Maryland's 4th congressional district for nearly a decade, from 2008 to 2017.
Did You Know?
She holds a law degree from the University of New Hampshire School of Law.
Before politics, she was a project manager on the International Space Station program for Lockheed Martin.
She once worked as a waitress at the Hard Rock Cafe while studying for the bar exam.
“We need a Congress that looks like the country it represents.”
