Fatimah Lorén Muhammad, an openly bisexual candidate for the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, is looking to bring a fresh perspective to West Philadelphia.
Muhammad, 27, is challenging Democratic Rep. James Roebuck for his 188th District seat in next month’s primary, which he has held for more than 25 years.
The University of Pennsylvania graduate is a native of New Jersey and has lived in West Philadelphia for about 10 years.
Raised by a single mother, Muhammad has experienced poverty and homelessness, which she said has had a lifelong, and motivating, influence on her.
“What it created for me was a connection to the suffering that people experience every day,” she said. “I know what it’s like to go to school hungry, to not have food and, knowing what that feels like has compelled me to fight hard in my life and compelled me to serve. I promised myself as a young one that, if I got out of that situation, I would do everything in my power to fight on behalf of people in similar circumstances.”
Muhammad studied sociology at Penn and graduated summa cum laude in 2006. She has worked as a community organizer in West Philadelphia and as a teacher at a number of local institutions.
She has also served as an anti-bullying facilitator at the local chapter of the Anti-Defamation League, confronting an issue with which she is familiar.
“I was bullied for being the poor kid. My clothes came from the Salvation Army, and I got one pair of shoes per year that I wore until they were worn out. I got bullied for being the smart kid and for wearing glasses that were broken,” she said. “So when I talk to young people about bullying now, I can share from that place. People are hungry for authenticity, and I am able to say, ‘I’ve been there and I really know what this is like. I know it’s hard but here are strategies to deal with this.’ The ‘It Gets Better’ campaign is great but we also need to be telling kids that they have the capacity, the capability, of working through it.”
Education is a cornerstone of Muhammad’s campaign. She said she would focus on developing early-education opportunities and would work with educators and parents to “bring a new sense of urgency” to educational-reform efforts.
Muhammad joins several other openly LGBT candidates running in the April 24 primary. Pennsylvania has never had an openly LGBT state legislator.
Her own coming-out experience went smoothly, she said.
“I was in college and had been reading coming-out stories by other people so I just sat down and had the conversation with my mother, and it was actually OK,” she said. “She said that, after all we’d been through, the most important thing to her was my happiness. We cried over that, knowing that we have each other’s backs no matter what. And I have a younger brother who is also affirming, so I feel quite grateful.”
Muhammad said there are a number of rights issues facing the state’s LGBT populations — such as youth bullying, health disparities and marriage equality — with homophobia at the root of many issues.
Enlisting the aid of LGBT allies can be key to fighting back against such sentiments, she said.
“We need to continue to educate folks about who we are and why it’s important that we work together,” she said. “One of the things I love about the LGBT community is that we’re not insular — we do advocacy work across the board, which ensures that we’re connected to folks who may not have the same exact experiences and identities. I’ve really been blown away by our allies. There’s a lot of work to be done, but Philadelphia is a great place to do it.”
Muhammad said she’s eager for younger residents in her district and throughout the city to get involved in the work that needs to be done locally and at the state level.
She noted that only about 2 percent of Philadelphia residents ages 18-24 voted in the last city election, a statistic she’s looking to change.
“We need to engage young people and get them excited about the political process. They need to realize that having a vote and having a voice really does matter,” she said, noting that intergenerational conversations can be integral in that education process. “I’m a facilitator so I’m very passionate about building bridges and having challenging conversations. In our district, there are folks who feel like they’ve been left behind and ignored, so I will be deeply engaged in what’s actually happening on the ground. They need to know they’re being heard and that’s what I’ll bring.”
Muhammad said she’s seeking volunteers and donors to assist in the final stretch of her primary campaign.
For more information, visit www.electfatimah.com.
Jen Colletta can be reached at [email protected].