Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta's Biography

Representative Malcolm Kenyatta is a third-generation North Philadelphia native, thought leader, and legislator currently serving in the Pennsylvania General Assembly. He earned a B.A. in Public Communications and a minor in Political Science from Temple University, a M.S. in Strategic and Digital Communications from Drexel University, and completed the Harvard Kennedy School’s Executives in State and Local Government program. 

In 2023 he was appointed by President Joe Biden to chair the Presidential Advisory Commission on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Black Americans.

He has been chosen for multiple prestigious fellowships and international delegations including: the Bertelsmann Leadership Fellow in the Digital Economy, the bipartisan Hunt/Kean Leadership Fellow in Education, American Jewish Committee (AJC) Project Interchange.

Representative Kenyatta is a barrier-breaking public figure, becoming the first openly LGBTQ+ person of color and one of the youngest people to become a members the PA General Assembly in 2018. In 2022, he became the first openly LGBTQ+ person of color to seek a U.S. Senate seat in American history. 

Representative Kenyatta has been a vocal proponent of protecting workers' rights, enacting commonsense gun safety policies, and rooting out government corruption and waste. He has multiple legislative leadership roles, including as a member of the powerful State Government Committee with oversight of state agencies and elections, where he chairs the Subcommittee on Government Operations; Chair of Automation and Technology in the Commerce Committee; and as a member of the Finance and Judiciary committees. Additionally, he has served as a member of the Philadelphia Delegation leadership team. 

In 2020, he was chosen to give the keynote address at the Democratic National Convention along with a group of other ‘Rising Stars’. Representative Kenyatta has appeared on local and national media outlets, including 60 Minutes, CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News. 

His legislative career and life have been the subject of two award-winning documentaries: "Going Forward" and a Today Show-produced feature length film, "Kenyatta: Do Not Wait Your Turn." He lives in North Philadelphia with his husband Dr. Matthew Kenyatta and their dog Cleo.