Re-Elect Kendra Brooks for Philadelphia City Council

Kendra Brooks is running to represent Working Families in the Philadelphia City Council for her second term. Join Team Brooks today!

Re-Elect Kendra Brooks to Philadelphia's City Council

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# **Delivering for ALL OF US**

**In my first term on the City Council, I have worked alongside community members and my fellow Council-members to return power back where it belongs -- in the hands of the people.**

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Our landmark housing legislation reduced evictions in the city by 75% and has been held up as a national model by the White House and Department of Justice. When low-wage earners were getting sick and dying from COVID-19 at staggering rates, I joined forces with union members to win guaranteed, emergency paid sick leave for all frontline workers. And when our reproductive freedom was under attack, I stepped up to protect anyone providing abortion services or seeking reproductive care in our city.

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There’s much more to do to build the city that we all deserve, one where housing is a human right, where our public schools and City services are fully-funded, where our communities are healthy and safe from the threat of gun violence, and where everyone has access to a good-paying, union job. I am committed  to making this vision a reality because I believe in the power of working people coming together around a shared vision for change. Are you with me?

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# **Roots**

**I entered public service because after years of advocating for neighborhood public schools and organizing against gun violence, I** **knew that working people like me deserved a seat at the table.** As a Black mom from North Philly, I experienced the breakdowns in our governing systems firsthand, and knew that if I didn’t stand up to fight for communities like mine, no one else would.

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**Growing up in Nicetown,** I saw how years of racist housing policies, low wages, under-funded schools, mass incarceration, and a crumbling social safety net broke apart families and robbed my generation of a chance to enter the middle class. As a young mom working my way through college, I understood the power of the labor movement as a proud member of 1199C. Later, I worked my way up to a good position at Easterseals, providing services to young people with disabilities and their families. But when a Republican governor slashed our state budget, I was laid off and left with few options and lost my home.

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Across Philadelphia, thousands of people are one missed paycheck away from losing stable housing just like I was — and that’s not right. I bring my lived experiences into City Hall, because I believe that we can fix our broken systems and make government truly work for the people. And I know firsthand that by addressing the housing crisis, fighting for livable wages, and ensuring our young people have the resources they need to live full, healthy lives, we can build power from the ground up and win the city of our dreams.

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# **Organizing**

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**I never saw myself as an organizer, but when my daughter’s public elementary school was threatened with closure, I joined forces with other parents, community members, and school staff because I wanted the best for my family and my community.** We took on one of the biggest charter school operators in the city in a fight that no one said we could win — and we proved everyone wrong. From there, my activism grew. I founded Stand Up Nicetown to stop the gun violence that was tearing my community apart. I led the Our City Our Schools Coalition to abolish the undemocratic School Reform Commission and return our School Board to local control. And I joined the Steering Committee of the 215 People’s Alliance where I built power citywide for the people of Philadelphia in their communities and at the polls.

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I believe in the power of everyday people coming together around a shared vision for change because it’s the only way we can change our system to work for the many, not the few. Whenever I’ve been told no, I’ve built strong relationships with directly-impacted people and formed broad coalitions to forge a path to victory. And I bring that same approach to my work as a City Council-member.

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**As a member of the Philadelphia City Council representing working families,** I am proud of the progress we’ve made for everyday Philadelphians and hope you will trust me to serve another term to build on the work we’ve started. 

Kendra on the Issues

**Philadelphians deserve good wages and an economy that works for all, not just the wealthy and well-connected.** That’s why I won COVID-19 paid sick leave for all frontline workers and it’s why I will continue fighting alongside my brothers and sisters in the labor movement to guarantee that all Philadelphians have access to a good paying union job, strong benefits, and safe working conditions.

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**Fighting for workers also means addressing corporate greed head on. In the City Council,** I’ve fought hard to make the ultra-rich pay their fair share so that working families aren’t shouldering our city’s tax burden. And I’ve won millions of dollars in funding for the public services our communities need to thrive: public schools, libraries, parks and rec centers, public transit, job programs, mental health services, and more.

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**Decades of austerity, underfunded City services, and corporate tax cuts have contributed to Philadelphia’s growing racial wealth gap and a poverty rate that is double the national average, and it’s time we put people before profit.** By making our wealthiest institutions make Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILOTs), repealing the ten-year tax abatement that benefits wealthy developers, and instituting a Philly Wealth Tax we could bring in hundreds of millions of dollars in annual revenue to fund our neighborhood services.

**Philadelphians deserve an economy that works for all, not just the wealthy and well-connected.** In the City Council, I have fought for policies that would allow us to make deep investments in the public services that our communities need to thrive: our schools, libraries, parks and recreation centers, and mental health services.

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Fighting for Workers and a Fair Economy

**Every Philadelphian deserves a safe, affordable place to live and not live in fear of it being taken away.** But right now in Philadelphia, rental unit and first-time home prices are skyrocketing and residents are being pushed out of their communities. With many of our seniors and low-income residents on the brink of homelessness, it’s time to fight back.

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**Through the Emergency Housing Protection Act, my Council colleagues and I prevented thousands of Philadelphians from being displaced and cut evictions by 75%.** And with the Renters Access Act, I won groundbreaking reforms to the rental application and screening process, leveling the playing-field for low-income Philadelphia renters. There’s more to do on the horizon, including rent control and measures to make home ownership more affordable. As someone who has faced housing insecurity firsthand, I will not stop fighting until we realize housing as a human right.

**Every Philadelphian deserves a safe, affordable place to live and not live in fear of it being taken away.** But right now in Philadelphia, rental unit and first-time home prices are skyrocketing and residents are being pushed out of their communities. With many of our seniors and low-income residents on the brink of homelessness, it’s time to fight back.

Housing as a Human Right

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**As a lifelong North Philadelphian, my daughters and I have faced the devastating impacts of the gun violence crisis firsthand.** As a city, we must treat gun violence like the public health crisis that it is, and align our communities around a courageous, bold vision to address it. This means addressing the root causes of gun violence and targeting our interventions to the handful of neighborhoods where the majority of violent incidents take place.

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**Long before I was a Councilmember, I founded a grassroots organizing project called Stand Up Nicetown to stop the shootings in my neighborhood, and community safety remains a top priority for me now that I hold elected office.** It’s why I joined with my fellow City Councilmembers to urge Mayor Kenney to make a citywide emergency declaration on gun violence and it’s why I fought for a Youth Powered Agenda in the budget to direct $50 million in funding to the young people who live in the neighborhoods most impacted by gun violence.

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**As a trained restorative justice facilitator, I know that disrupting cycles of harm is only possible if we address the underlying issues that drive most violent incidents: mental health crises, substance abuse disorder, and deep poverty.** That’s why I championed full funding for mobile crisis units, which help community members experiencing mental health episodes, and why I remain a strong advocate for harm reduction approaches to address the opioid crisis. It’s not easy, but together we can heal the social divisions that spark violence, equip our young people with conflict mediation strategies and job opportunities, and create safety that we can feel in every zip code.

**As a lifelong North Philadelphian, my daughters and I are no stranger to the devastating impacts of the gun violence crisis.** As a city, we must treat gun violence like the public health crisis that it is, and align our communities around a courageous, bold vision to address it.

Keeping Us Safe and Upholding Justice

**As a Black woman in America, I know what it’s like to have your safety, autonomy, and dignity threatened.** It’s why in my first term I expanded protections for survivors of domestic violence and later passed some of the strongest reproductive rights protections of any city in the country.

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I believe that the right to an abortion is one of our most essential freedoms – one that allows us to govern our bodies and the course of our lives. I passed the Reproductive Freedom Platform to ensure that anyone seeking or providing an abortion is safe from retaliation and I will not rest until the right to abortion is protected and accessible for all.

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**I believe that the right to an abortion is one of our most essential freedoms**–one that allows us to govern our bodies and the course of our lives.

Protecting Our Reproductive Rights

**It is our collective responsibility to fight for a healthy, livable city now so that current and future generations can live full, healthy lives.** That means not only addressing the climate crisis through bold transitions to green energy, but also protecting communities most harmed by extreme weather events and toxins in our built environment.

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**We must rid our public schools of the lead and asbestos that poisons our children and address the air and water pollution that plagues working class Black and Brown communities like the one I live in** – where one in three children has asthma. And we need green forms of transportation in every zip code, which is why I passed legislation to expand bike share services citywide.

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**In City Council, I’ve also revived efforts to protect dozens of community gardens in working class neighborhoods from being sold off at sheriff sale to the highest bidder.** And I’ve worked closely with my Council colleagues and legislators in Harrisburg to demand an aggressive transition to green energy that creates good, union jobs. We can’t wait for action from the federal government – Philadelphia must take measures into our own hands.

**It is our collective responsibility to fight for a healthy livable city now so that current and future generations can live full, healthy lives.** That means not only protecting the communities most harmed by the climate crisis and taking bold measures to transition to green energy, but also cleaning and greening our built environment.

Demanding A Green, Resilient Future

**Fighting for our public schools and ensuring that our communities' voices are centered in education decisions are what drove me to public service.** 

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Now, as a legislator, I have the opportunity to ensure this happens. That’s why I’ve worked closely with the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers to support our school staff and advocated alongside the Our City Our Schools coalition for a transparent, accountable School District. Our city is only strong if we are equipping younger generations with the tools they need to thrive. Demanding more for our students and our public schools will always be a top priority for me. 

**Our city is only strong if we are equipping younger generations with the tools they need to thrive.** Demanding more for our students and our public schools will always be a top priority for me. 

Investing In Our Public Schools

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**I made history when I joined this body,** and am proud of the work I’ve done to deliver for working class people. In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, the financial devastation that followed, and the country's racial reckoning, I’ve fought tirelessly for a more just Philadelphia that leaves no one behind. And I’m only getting started.”

**[So so much is happening right now.]()**[ Write a couple lines to get your readers excited for it.]()

Council-member Brooks’ first term

**Kendra Brooks shocked Philly’s political world in 2019.** Now the Working Families Party is trying to replicate that historic victory next year.

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Working Families Party is gearing up to oust the few Republicans left in Philadelphia Government

Abortion access protections and affordable housing are among the top priorities of City Council as it regroups today after a summer recess.

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**The latest:** A trio of council-members are expected to put forward a legislative package today they say will bolster abortion rights and protect both patients and providers in the city. Helen Gym, Jamie Gauthier and Kendra Brooks are introducing the bills.

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**Abortion access protections and affordable housing** are among the top priorities of City Council as it regroups today after a summer recess. 

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**The latest:** A trio of council-members are expected to put forward a legislative package today they say will bolster abortion rights and protect both patients and providers in the city.

Philadelphia City Council members move to protect abortion rights

But one group that we haven’t heard enough from are those at the center of it all — those who have the lived experience of exercising their right to choose. Those whose voices the justices have all but shut out by erecting an 8-foot fence in front of the Supreme Court building in an effort to protect themselves from those trying to protect their constitutional rights.

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The onetime teen mother who knows what it’s like to struggle in a country without equal access to child care or family leave.

**We haven’t heard enough from those at the center of the abortion debate,** those who have the lived experience of exercising their right to choose.

Four Pennsylvanians who had an abortion reflect on life after Roe

Philadelphia City Council-members Kendra Brooks and Jamie Gauthier joined Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, and local union leaders today in calling for a wealth tax on Philadelphia residents who hold stocks and bonds.

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The bill would revive an old statewide Personal Property Tax at a rate of 0.4%. Under the tax, someone holding $1,000 worth of stock would pay $4, for example…

**Philadelphia City Council-members Kendra Brooks and Jamie Gauthier joined Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren**, and local union leaders today in calling for a wealth tax on Philadelphia residents who hold stocks and bonds.

City Council-members call for wealth tax in Philadelphia

“The announcement that Dr. William Hite will not renew his contract with the School District of Philadelphia comes as a relief to many of our school community members who have been repeatedly failed by the District’s leadership over the past decade. During Hite’s tenure, Philadelphia saw an unprecedented number of neighborhood schools shuttered, a sharp rise in the tide of school privatization, and repeatedly botched attempts to remediate toxic building conditions across the city. While Dr. Hite still has ten months remaining in his contract, my sincere hope is that this change in leadership can be more than just symbolic and spark real change in the District’s approach to decision-making and to school-community relationships…”

**“There is no shortage of challenges facing our schools.** The incoming Superintendent must have the experiences and skills needed to deliver on the promise of quality public education for every student in every zip code,” said Councilmember Kendra Brooks.

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