In a Wednesday administration media briefing, Gov. Jim Justice announced he was appointing Anitra Hamilton to represent the 81st District in the West Virginia House of Delegates.
Hamilton was among a list of three candidates submitted by the Monongalia County Democratic Party to Justice for his appointment to the remainder of Danielle Walker’s two-year term, which began this January.
Hamilton is president of the Morgantown/Kingwood Branch of the NAACP of West Virginia and vice-chair of the West Virginia University Council for Gender Equity.
Earlier this month, Walker, the only Black woman in the West Virginia Legislature, stepped down as delegate for the 81st House District to become the executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of West Virginia. She also stepped down from her position as the vice chair of the state Democratic Party.
Anitra Hamilton now becomes the only Black woman in the West Virginia Legislature.
The 81st district encompasses a portion of Morgantown, including the neighborhoods next to West Virginia University.