Councilmember Kenyatta Johnson represents Philadelphia’s Second District, covering parts of Center City, South and Southwest Philadelphia, Philadelphia International Airport, the Navy Yard, Eastwick, Grays Ferry, Hawthorne, and Point Breeze.

Born and raised in the Point Breeze section of the city, Kenyatta’s commitment to fighting for our neighborhoods and our neighbors goes far beyond City Council – for him, it’s personal. He is driven to give back to the communities that helped raise him.

In 1998, while Kenyatta was serving in the City Year Americorps National Service Program, one of his cousins was murdered due to senseless gun violence. Several close childhood friends were also murdered during this period. As a result, Kenyatta founded an organization called Peace Not Guns, that to this day focuses on teaching young adults conflict resolution, anger management, and anti-street education. Peace Not Guns’ goal is to avoid the situations that lead young people to pick up guns in the first place. It has become his life’s mission to create a city of peace, not guns.

This activism led him to work as a State Senate staffer and then serve as a State Representative for the 186th Legislative District for three years. Kenyatta ultimately decided to return to Philadelphia to ensure that everyone shares equally in the city’s growing opportunities and has served as the 2nd District’s City Council representative since 2012. He was also a founding staff member of City Year, the non-profit AmeriCorps organization whose primary goal is to build advocacy through service.

Kenyatta and his wife Dawn live in Point Breeze with their sons and their dog, Sasha Blu.