Former Pennsylvania State Senator Shirley M. Kitchen, the second African American woman to serve in the Pennsylvania State Senate, has died at 79 years old.   Born Sept. 18, 1946, in Augusta, Georgia, Kitchen was a student in the Philadelphia public school system. She began her career as a social worker before working for Philadelphia City Council President John F. Street.  Kitchen began her political career representing the 181st Congressional District in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in 1987 and 1988.   She then represented Pennsylvania’s 3rd Congressional District, including North and West Philadelphia, from 1996 until her retirement in 2016.  During her tenure in the Senate, Kitchen served as minority chair of the Public Health and Welfare Committee. She also served on the Agricultural and Rural Affairs, Transportation, and the Urban Affairs and Housing committees.  A member of the Pennsylvania Legislative Black caucus, Kitchen was the second African American woman elected to the Pennsylvania State Senate. At the time of her retirement, she was the only African American Senate member.  “I am deeply saddened to learn of the passing of former Pennsylvania State Senator Shirley Kitchen. She was a trailblazer and a fierce advocate for the people of Philadelphia,” Philadelphia City Council President Kenyatta Johnson wrote in a statement on Sunday. “Senator Kitchen never forgot who she was fighting for, and she dedicated her life to making sure families had greater access to opportunity, quality healthcare, education, and a government that worked for everyone.” DNC Vice Chair and Pennsylvania State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta — who currently represents the 181st District — referred to Sen. Kitchen as an “icon” in a statement he released on Sunday. “She was a mentor, a friend, a surrogate grandmother, and someone whom the world will never be the same without. From Philadelphia to Harrisburg, she blazed the path and did so much to transform people’s lives,” Kenyatta wrote. “I’m lucky to have known her and to call her a friend. It feels right, somehow, that she left us on the same day America turned 250, because no one did more to make good on this country’s promises than Shirley Kitchen did in North Philadelphia. I will miss her every single day.” ...read more read less