Fattah, Chaka
Born: November 21, 1956, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Vocations: Legislator
Geographic Connection to Pennsylvania: Germantown, Philadelphia, Philadelphia County

Keywords: Congressional Black Caucus; Arthur Davenport; Democrat; Equal Opportunity; GEAR UP; Gold Mouse Award; Harvard University; House of Umoja Boystown; Pennsylvania House; Pennsylvania Senate; Student Bill of Rights; U.S. House of Representatives; University of Pennsylvania

Abstract: Born in Philadelphia on November 21, 1956, Chaka Fattah grew up with political ideas and even developed his own political propaganda for other candidates at the age of 14. Upon entering the political world at age 25, he became a lawmaker and served six years as Pennsylvania state representative, followed by six years as state senator. He established his most famous act in Congress, the Equal Protection School Finance Act, in 2000, which in 2003 became the Student Bill of Rights. Fattah was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1994 and still resides in and serves Pennsylvania’s Second Congressional District.

Biography:

Chaka Fattah was born to Russell Davenport and Frances Brown on November 21, 1956, under the name Arthur Davenport. His parents divorced when he was young, and his mother soon remarried to a man she met at a national conference on black power in 1968. Following this conference, his mother decided to change her name to Falaka Fattah, to acknowledge her African ethnicity, and Arthur she renamed Chaka Fattah.

When Fattah was 14, his mother and stepfather decided to develop a home for homeless boys and gang members. To help his parents succeed in this endeavor, Fattah delivered a slide presentation to the First Pennsylvania Bank, hoping they would donate their properties to his parents’ cause. The Bank was impressed by this young man’s proposal and provided his parents with the property and funds they were seeking. These properties became the beginning of the House of Umoja Boystown, and the proposal initiated Fattah’s political career. Fattah’s next political act, undertaken while attending Shoemaker Junior High School in Philadelphia in 1968, was campaign volunteer for Mayor Hardy Williams. Here he realized his passion for politics. In 1976 Fattah received his associate’s degree from the Community College of Philadelphia. In 1977, he completed his bachelor’s degree in economics and business at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. Next he attended Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, where he completed the Senior Executive Program for State Officials. Finally, in 1986, Fattah attended the University of Pennsylvania Fels Institute of State and Local Government, receiving a master’s degree in government administration.

Immediately following his schooling, Fattah became, at that time, the youngest man to be elected to the Pennsylvania Legislature as a Democrat. He was also the youngest candidate ever to win by such a large margin. For 12 years Fattah was a state lawmaker, serving six years as state representative and six more as state senator. During these 12 years he began focusing on the issues most important to him, quality schools and equal opportunities, so that inner-city children can have the same educational opportunities as suburban. In pursuit of these goals, Chaka developed many plans of action, taking small steps each year.

In 1994, Fattah was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, serving Pennsylvania’s Second Congressional District, which includes West and North Philadelphia, Germantown, and Darby. Also in 1994, he was elected whip, which is the legislator who enforces discipline, for the Congressional Black Caucus. In the years that followed, Fattah served on several committees, including the House Appropriations Committee, where he oversaw billions of dollars in funds, the House Democratic Caucus, and the Joint Committee on Printing.

Fattah’s most famous act was created in the year 2000. He titled it the Equal Protection School Finance Act, his first major step in creating equal opportunities in the schools. Later, in September 2003, he renamed it the Student Bill of Rights. In 1998, Fattah took a smaller step targeting education beyond high school. He called this new plan GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs). This program provides support for minorities to pursue higher education. Alongside GEAR UP, Fattah created the William H. Gray College Completion Grant, which provides these minorities with the funds they need to pursue higher education.

Throughout all these years, Fattah was a vocal supporter of Bill Clinton, before, during, and after his years as President. Currently Fattah is continually criticizing President George Bush, and passionately disagrees with all the money that is put into the War on Iraq. One reason Fattah is so passionate about money is because he is still seeking money for his Student Bill of Rights.

Fattah’s most recent accomplishment is his web site. In March 2003, he was awarded the Gold Mouse Award by the Congress Online Project for educating the public on how government works and advancing political ideas.

Fattah is still serving in the U.S. House of Representatives and currently resides in Philadelphia, where, with his third wife Renee Chenault-Fattah, he is raising his four children.

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This biography was prepared by Rachel Goehring, Spring 2004.