I was born and raised right here in North Philly. This neighborhood is in a lot of respects
who I am. My mom was probably the sweetest person I know. Her love of North Philly was
contagious. My dad came from this really amazing family, and my grandfather, Mohammed Kenyatta,
was a civil rights activist. How we treat people matters. What we contribute to our community matters.
We have a responsibility to do those things, and that's sort of driven my life. Believe it or not,
I think it was around 1996. When I saw him, the spirit of God spoke to me and said that this
young man is going to be in politics. When it was time to do something in the church, he took
the lead. Everybody, Malcolm, Malcolm, Malcolm. Like he was the only guy in here. They had confidence
in him that everything he started is going to finish him. He was always the leader, always.
The first time I recall having any interaction with Malcolm was when he was a member of my
American Lit class, and I just remember knowing right away that he was going to be a bright star.
Malcolm was one of the few who would raise his hand and say, well, I'm not sure I agree with that,
or have you thought about this? My friends, some people are asking. They're asking why we're here
today. He would always have a different perspective on things. Some people are saying they're
saying that we should quiet down. I've been opinionated. Some people are saying that we should
move on and give them a chance. My classmates voted me most opinionated. My friends, I tell you,
today is not a day for silence. Tomorrow is not a day for silence. You know, I've had a big mouth
about things that I thought matter. We were made for this. We were made for this. And we will endure.
We will fight back. We will not be quiet. We will not go backwards. I'm just like a poor black
gay kid from North Philly who believes that this community is so much more than gets shown on TV
sometimes. So many parents are making the decision that my mom often had to make. Am I going to sit
at home and do the homework with the kids? Or am I going to go work that extra shift to make
sure my kids have lights to do the homework under? Right now, more and more the benefits,
more and more the wealth, more and more the opportunities go to communities that people
think are better deserving. There's nobody who deserves the investment like people in North
Philly. Hey, what's going on? This election is about unleashing the possibility of our community.
Right? This election is about what our neighborhoods can and should be.
He's very helpful on the block. And I know if he did this campaign, he would do a good job.
He's not going to move on in life. He's going to stay there and he's going to affect the change he
needs to affect from within. And it's going to be a good thing for our city. He got loving his
heart for people. To me, that's the core of what he's going to do. He loved people. And I'll back
him up. That's for sure. I know that we can build things again. I know that we can invest in our
families. I know that we can raise wages for folks and make sure access to quality healthcare
is a right, not a privilege. I fundamentally believe that our possibility is limitless.
My name is Malcolm Kenyatta and I'm running for state representative in the 181st District,
Philadelphia.
