Philadelphia politicians pay tribute to trailblazing legislator Shirley Kitchen: ‘She never forgot who she was fighting for’

From Philly and the Pa. suburbs to South Jersey and Delaware, what would you like WHYY News to cover? Let us know!

Former state Sen. Shirley M. Kitchen, a trailblazing legislator who spent two decades representing North Philadelphia in Harrisburg and broke barriers when elected to the Pennsylvania Senate, has died at the age of 79.

Kitchen’s death was announced Sunday, prompting an outpouring of tributes from elected officials, former colleagues and community leaders who remembered her as a relentless advocate for underserved neighborhoods and a mentor to generations of Philadelphia politicians.

Mayor Cherelle Parker called Kitchen “a powerful, effective advocate for her constituents and for all of Philadelphia.”

“Food insecurity, health care, public transportation, restorative justice, voting rights — Senator Kitchen was always on the front lines on important issues, fighting for people who often had no one else to fight for them,” Parker said in a post on social media.

Pennsylvania state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, who holds the seat Kitchen once represented, called her an “icon” as well as “a mentor, a friend, a surrogate grandmother” to him, adding that “no one did more to make good on this country’s promises than Shirley Kitchen did in North Philadelphia.”

“When you look at her legislative record and the impact that she had just from a constituent service perspective, what you get is the real portrait of someone who changed the game, who put people first and who helped people engage with their government,” Kenyatta said.  “And then she went to Harrisburg and tried to fix them structurally.”

Born in Augusta, Georgia, on Sept. 18, 1946, Kitchen moved to Philadelphia as a child and was educated in the city’s public schools. She received her undergraduate degree from Antioch College and later attended Temple University. She became a social worker before serving as director of constituent services for then-Philadelphia City Council President John F. Street.

Kitchen was first elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in a 1987 special election. Although she served just one term there, she returned to public office nearly a decade later, winning a 1996 special election to succeed the late state Sen. Roxanne Jones in the 3rd Senate District, representing North Philadelphia.

Her election made history. Kitchen became the second Black woman to serve in the state Senate, only after Jones, and was the only Black woman in the Senate during her tenure. No Black woman has served since she retired in 2016.

She was succeeded by her chosen replacement, Sharif Street, who had served as her chief of staff.

“She always looked at it through the eyes of the social worker,” Street told The Philadelphia Tribune. “Somebody’s hungry; we need to help them get food. Somebody needs a house; we need to help them get housing. Somebody needs a job; we need to help them find a job.”

Kenyatta, who met with Kitchen for breakfast last week, said her mark on Pennsylvania politics is also found in how she fostered and encouraged “new voices and new energy in our political system.”

“I don’t know that I’d be doing half of the things that I’m doing right now if she had not been such a vocal supporter of mine and such a consistent private encourager of mine,” he said. “When politics is hard and you don’t know what to do and you need somebody who you could trust, who you could call and talk to, she was always one of those first calls.”

In 2017, the Philadelphia City Council voted to ceremoniously name a street after Kitchen.

In a statement, Council President Kenyatta Johnson called her “a fierce advocate for the people of Philadelphia.”

“Senator Kitchen never forgot who she was fighting for, and she dedicated her life to making sure families had greater access to opportunity, quality healthcare, education, and a government that worked for everyone,” he said. “Her decades of public service left an indelible mark on our city and our Commonwealth. She opened doors for so many and inspired generations of leaders through her courage, determination, and unwavering commitment to justice.”

Editor’s note: This story was updated to correct an attribution to Rep. Kenyatta, who called Kitchen an “icon” and a “mentor.”