PITTSBURGH, Pa (PTTP) – As of 2022, 1.5 million people are living in poverty in Pennsylvania, according to the Community Action Association of Pennsylvania. With statistics as concerning as these many Pennsylvanians have given up hope on our current leaders. Democrat senatorial candidate Malcolm Kenyatta wants to revamp and revive the American Dream.
At the age of twelve, Kenyatta was already working a minimum wage job to help support his family. Raised by a mother who was a home healthcare aid and a father who was a social worker, they struggled to make ends meet.
“I do believe that bravery is contagious. I say that all the time, but it is. I know how difficult it is to be something you can’t see. And I hope that a lot of people see a poor black kid from North Philly, who’s now a serious candidate for the US Senate who goes on to focus on them.”
As a black man and member of the LGBTQ community, Kenyatta has a first-hand understanding of how the government’s prejudices affect minority groups.
“I recognize that when you know what it’s like to have your feet be bloody from walking over the glass of government’s action—when you know what it’s like to be treated unfairly simply because of who you are, it makes you a better legislator.”
Kenyatta believes that his struggles and differences define his success instead of defying his success. And he hopes others follow in his footsteps.
“I know that there are a lot of people who might watch this, who thought about running for office, but never felt like they were the typical candidate that they saw run. And that made them as a woman, or a person of color, or a queer person say I don’t know if I can do it. You can do it. You can run. You can win. And we’ll be better off because you do.”