Ismail Smith-Wade-El

{{short description|American politician}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2024}}

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = Ismail Smith-Wade-El

| image = Ismail Smith-Wade-El (cropped).jpg

| caption = Smith-Wade-El in 2021

| birth_place = Lancaster, Pennsylvania, U.S.

| state_house = Pennsylvania

| district = 49th

| predecessor = Bud Cook

| term_start = December 1, 2022

| education = Carnegie Mellon University (BA)

| party = Democratic

| birth_date = {{birth based on age as of date|32|2022|11|9}}

| parents = Rita Smith-Wade-El

}}

Ismail "Izzy" Smith-Wade-El (born 1989 or 1990) is an American politician serving as a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for the 49th district. Elected in November 2022, he assumed office on December 1, 2022.

Early life and education

Smith-Wade-El was born and raised in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. He is the son of Dr. Rita Smith-Wade-El (1948-2018), a professor of psychology and African-American studies at Millersville University.{{Cite web |last=Kacskos |first=Janet |date=December 29, 2018 |title=Dr. Rita Smith-Wade-El: 1948-2018 |url=https://blogs.millersville.edu/news/2018/12/29/dr-rita-smith-wade-el-1948-2018/ |access-date=March 12, 2024 |website=Millersville News |language=en-US}} He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in theatre and anthropology from Carnegie Mellon University in 2014.{{Cite web |last=Andrelczyk |first=Mike |title=Meet Izzy Smith-Wade-El, Lancaster's first Black, queer Pa. state representative |url=https://lancasteronline.com/news/local/meet-izzy-smith-wade-el-lancasters-first-black-queer-pa-state-representative/article_b3dcf004-6076-11ed-982d-277e47c6f00f.html |access-date=January 5, 2023 |website=LancasterOnline |date=November 9, 2022 |language=en}}

Career

Smith-Wade-El served as a member of the Lancaster City Council from 2017 until his resignation in 2022 following his election to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. He also worked as a program specialist at the Lancaster County Homeless Coalition.{{Cite web |title=Rep. Ismail Smith-Wade-El {{!}} Biography |url=https://www.pahouse.com/Smith-Wade-El/About/Biography |access-date=January 5, 2023 |website=www.pahouse.com |language=en}} Smith-Wade-El was elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in November 2022, becoming the first black and first LGBTQ representative for the 49th district.{{Cite web |title=Ismail Smith-Wade-El |url=https://ballotpedia.org/Ismail_Smith-Wade-El |access-date=January 5, 2023 |website=Ballotpedia |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=February 6, 2023 |title=Honoring Black History: Ismail Smith-Wade-El |url=https://www.abc27.com/community/honoring-black-history/honoring-black-history-ismail-smith-wade-el/ |access-date=March 12, 2024 |website=ABC27 |language=en-US}}

Personal life

Smith-Wade-El is Catholic and identifies as queer.

References