In her first term on City Council, Councilmember Kendra Brooks opened the doors of City Hall to community groups, neighbors, and advocates to work alongside her in making Philadelphia a safer, greener, more affordable city for working families.
She was elected to the board of Local Progress, a national network of local elected leaders advancing racial and economic justice. In addition to the accomplishments below, her office helped over seventeen thousand Philadelphians with constituent services.
Opportunities for Young People
As a mother and grandmother, Councilmember Brooks knows that the top priority for working families is making sure our children have opportunities to learn, grow, and lead. When we provide modern schools and exciting programming for our young people, we lift up families and make Philadelphia a safer, more vibrant place to live.
Parks, Libraries, Rec Centers, and Programming for Youth
- Advocated for and won funding for libraries to be open six days a week
- Won funding to restore Parks and Recreation to pre-pandemic levels
- Co-sponsored the Youth-Powered Anti-Violence Agenda that calls on the City to provide trauma counseling, youth employment, and other resources to prevent violence
- Created and distributed a comprehensive Youth Opportunities Guide
Modern Public Schools
- Convened municipal leaders from across the state of Pennsylvania to advocate for increased funding for modern school buildings
- Led campaign to increase funding for schools with PILOTS (contributions from wealthy universities and non-profits who don’t pay taxes), which resulted in the University of Pennsylvania pledging $100 million for school upgrades
- Wrote an op-ed with State Representative Elizabeth Fiedler calling for increased transparency and communication from the School District of Philadelphia
- Co-hosted the 2023 Parent Summit, a day of free programming for caregivers who support schools and young people
An Economy that Works for All of Us
Councilmember Brooks is working to ensure that wealthy corporations pay what they owe and that workers have the wages and protections they need to care for their families:
Making Wealthy Corporations Pay What They Owe
- Introduced a bill to raise over $200M in annual City funding, earning the support of US Senator Elizabeth Warren and national recognition for leading locally on economic justice
- Held a People’s Hearing that brought together community testimony in support of investing in public libraries, rec centers, youth programming, neighborhood infrastructure improvements, and mental health services.
- Advocated for legislation to make wealthy corporations pay what they owe, including reinstating PILOTS for wealthy universities and mega-nonprofits, ending the tax abatement, and voting against regressive cuts to the BIRT tax and wage tax.
- Introduced & passed Resolutions:
- Calling on the federal government to cancel all student loan debt and begin the transition to education as a public good.
- Calling on the Federal Reserve Bank and other financial institutions to offer loans for public projects without charging any interests or fees
Fighting for Philly Workers
- Passed three laws to provide workers up to two weeks’ paid leave to care for themselves or family members during the COVID-19 pandemic
- Established a permanent Department of Labor dedicated to promoting and enforcing city labor laws like paid sick leave, wage theft, and Fair Workweek
- Won $800,000 for the Department to hire additional staff to protect workers rights
- Established a Reparations Task Force (with Councilmember Gauthier)
Stable Homes for Working Families
No family can thrive without a stable home. Councilmember Brooks has fought for affordable housing and protections for renters, so that families can focus on what matters.
- Passed the Renters’ Access Act, which prohibits discrimination in renter applications and supports fair access to housing by creating uniform screening criteria for applicants’ rental and credit history.
- Took the lead on reforming our eviction system after a tenant was shot
- Co-sponsored the Emergency Housing Protections Act, which kept Philadelphians housed during the COVID-19 pandemic, established a nationally recognized Eviction Diversion Program, and helped reduce evictions in Philadelphia by 75 percent
- Introduced Resolution calling for hearings on rent control in Philadelphia, and held a rally and public hearing calling for rent stabilization as a necessary remedy for Philadelphia’s housing crisis
- Advocated for and won increased funding for Rental Assistance ($15M) and expansion of the Eviction Diversion Program and Right to Counsel ($1M) in targeted zip codes
- Held hearings to investigate how the housing crisis impacts three groups of senior Philadelphians: senior homeowners, senior renters, and seniors in the shelter system and facing homelessness
- Advocated for and won $500,000 for the Pennsylvania Immigrant Family Unity Project, which provides legal defense for immigrants faced with deportation and separation from their families
Safer, Greener Neighborhoods
Councilmember Brooks knows that the safest neighborhoods are the ones with the most resources. As Councilmember, she has fought to preserve the resources that already exist in our neighborhoods and to expand access to green spaces and sustainable modes of transportation.
Protecting Community Gardens
- Protected dozens of community gardens from being sold to developers, ensuring that the gardens will continue to provide fresh food and green space in Black and Latinx neighborhoods
- Championed funding for the City’s first-ever Urban Agriculture Plan
Mobility and Transit Equity
- Advocated for affordable transit, including free Septa rides for children
- Introduced & passed Indego Bike contract bill
Cleaning and Greening Neighborhoods
- Hosts the annual Wingohocking Neighbors Day, a day to celebrate community, clean and green the neighborhood, and share resources with families
- Advocated for Councilmember Gauthier’s #JustServicesPHL campaign to improve city services in neglected neighborhoods
Resources for Healthy Families
From paid sick leave to abortion rights and mental health resources, Councilmember Brooks has fought to defend and expand access to healthcare for working families.
Standing up for Abortion Rights
- Passed comprehensive legislative package to defend abortion rights and protect patients, providers, and all people seeking reproductive care in Philadelphia
- Marched and spoke at rallies from Philly to DC to protect reproductive healthcare
- Spoke out about personal experiences having an abortion
- Working with advocates to establish a task force that will help coordinate, fund, and protect reproductive health services across the city
Providing Citywide Emergency Mental Health Services
- Increased funding ($7.3M) for mobile crisis units, which provide non-police responses to mental health crises
- Won an additional $3 million to expand mobile crisis units citywide
Fighting for Survivors
- Introduced and passed legislation to expand definition of domestic abuse in order to provide for protections for people who are experiencing coercive control
- Co-hosted the Purple Path Walk to spread awareness and resources about domestic violence
- Introduced and passed Resolution recognizing October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month in the City of Philadelphia
Ensuring our Votes and our Voices Matter
- Co-wrote op-ed on importance of protecting integrity of elections
- Demonstrated with thousands of people at the Convention Center and uplifted a nationally televised Count the Vote rally to ensure a fair democratic process during the 2020 presidential election
- Led City Council briefing on potential challenges to mid-term election results and how to deal with potential scenarios
- Held a New Voters Registration Party to inspire young people to vote
- Introduced & passed Resolutions:
- Commemorating the 55th Anniversary of the Signing of the Voting Rights Act (in partnership with Black Ballot Power)
- Honoring poll workers and election workers and emphasizing the need to protect the sanctity of our elections from those who seek to undermine voters
- Affirming all Philadelphians' First Amendment rights to protest and peaceful assembly, particularly in response to the 2020 presidential election
Civil Rights and Racial Justice
- Co-sponsored legislation to ban the Philadelphia Police Department’s use of tear gas and other less-lethal munitions towards demonstrators and bystanders
- Wrote an essay published on Martin Luther King Jr Day, reflecting on the meaning of service and community
- Co-introduced (with Councilmember Gauthier) a resolution to create a Reparations Task Force in Philadelphia, which will study and develop proposals for compensating descendants of enslaved people for the lasting harm of enslavement and institutional racism
- Introduced and passed Resolutions:
- Urging the U.S. Congress to end forced labor in prisons by striking the slavery clause from the US Constitution
- Urging the Pennsylvania State Senate and Governor Tom Wolf to pass the Dignity for Incarcerated Women Act (House Bill 1419), intended to improve conditions and treatment of pregnant people in Pennsylvania’s jails and prisons
Fighting for People with Disabilities
- Held hearing to investigate and affirm the parental rights of people with disabilities
- Introduced and passed Resolutions:
- Recognizing October as Blindness Equality Month in the City of Philadelphia
- Recognizing Disability Pride Week in the City of Philadelphia
- Sponsored charter change legislation to make permanent the Office for People with Disabilities
LGBTQ+ Pride
Introduced and passed Resolutions:
- Recognizing Trans Day of Visibility in Philadelphia
- Recognizing LGBTQ+ Pride Month in the City of Philadelphia (co-introduced with Councilmember Gauthier)
Celebrating Leaders and Communities Fighting for Justice
Introduced and passed Resolutions:
- Honoring remarkable Black women throughout Philadelphia history: Ona Judge, Ruth Wilson, Dr. Ethel Allen, Jacqueline Wiggins, Betty Beaufort, Evette Jones, Mama Maisha, Joann Bell, Paula Peebles, Karen Asper Jordan, and Shakeda Gaines.
- Honoring exceptional Philadelphia women: Ellen Somekawa, Patty Eakin, Debbie Wei, Maria Adames, and Bonnie Camarda.
- Honoring the late Mike Hinson for his contributions to advancing queer rights, Black liberation, and housing justice
- Honoring Shawn W. Wilson for his contributions to ending gun violence and racial injustice
- Honoring the advocacy of Bill Krebs in affirming the rights of all people with disabilities
- Honoring and congratulating Camae Ayewa and Rasheedah Phillips for their cultural and artistic contributions to Philadelphia
- Honoring Ronald Whitehorne for his contributions as a labor and grassroots community activist
- Honoring the Philadelphia Home and School Council on its 125th Anniversary
- Honoring the inaugural graduating class of eight fellows of WOMEN'S WAY Change the Narrative Fellowship Program
- Proclaiming October 13th as Dorothy Bolden Day in honor of Bolden’s contributions to the National Domestic Workers Alliance, labor organizing, and advocacy for workers' rights
- Recognizing Leon A. Williams Esq. for his contributions as an independent candidate and attorney working for criminal justice reform