Malcolm Kenyatta

Malcolm Kenyatta is a Democratic politician representing Pennsylvania's 181st House District, which encompasses parts of North Philadelphia. Born on July 30, 1990, he is a third-generation North Philadelphia native. Kenyatta made history as the first openly LGBTQ+ person of color elected to either chamber of the Pennsylvania General Assembly when he won his state representative seat in 2018 with 95.3% of the vote, simultaneously becoming one of the youngest elected state representatives in Pennsylvania's history.

Education

Kenyatta earned his educational credentials from respected institutions:

• Bachelor of Arts in Public Communications with a minor in Political Science from Temple University
• Master of Science in Strategic and Digital Communications from Drexel University
• Completed the Harvard Kennedy School's Executives in State and Local Government program

Political Experience

As a state representative, Kenyatta holds multiple leadership positions within the Pennsylvania General Assembly:

• Vice Chair of the Democratic National Committee
• Member of the House State Government Committee, which oversees state agencies and elections
• Chair of the Subcommittee on Government Operations
• Chair of the Financial Services and Banking Subcommittee in the House Commerce Committee
• Member of the House Professional Licensure and Judiciary Committees

Kenyatta has pursued statewide offices with historic significance. In 2022, he became the first openly LGBTQ+ person of color to seek a U.S. Senate seat in American history. In 2024, he was nominated as the Democratic candidate for Pennsylvania Auditor General, becoming the first openly LGBTQ+ person ever nominated for statewide office by a major political party in Pennsylvania. In that general election, he earned nearly 3.1 million votes—the second-highest vote total for any Democrat on the ticket that year.

Additionally, President Joe Biden appointed Kenyatta in 2023 to chair the Presidential Advisory Commission on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Black Americans. Throughout his career, he has been a vocal advocate for workers' rights and combating government corruption and waste.