She lives in New York City with her husband, award-winning illustrator Brian Pinkney, and their two children.

Her parents were involved in the civil rights movement and exposed her to the cause from early on, even taking her to the annual conference of the National Urban League during many of her summer vacations.

[citation needed] Pinkney graduated from Syracuse University in 1985 with a degree in journalism and began working as an editor at Mechanix Illustrated.

[citation needed] While working at one of these early editing jobs, she met Brian Pinkney, a Caldecott Honor-winning children's book illustrator, whom she later married.

She was cited in January 2013 for "significant contributions to literature for young people provided through a body of work that brings a deeper understanding of African American heritage".