Movita Johnson-Harrell (born April 21, 1966) is an American politician from Pennsylvania who served as a Democratic member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for the 190th district from March to December 2019.[3][4] She is the first female Muslim member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.[5]
Movita Johnson-Harrell | |
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| Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from the 190th district | |
| In office March 25, 2019 – December 13, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Vanessa Lowery Brown |
| Succeeded by | G. Roni Green[1] |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Movita Johnson-Harrell April 21, 1966[2] |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Residence | Philadelphia |
| Alma mater | University of Pennsylvania |
| Occupation | Politician |
She resigned after pleading guilty to various criminal acts related to a charity she worked for. She was sentenced to 3 months in jail followed by 8.5 months on house arrest, 11 months on parole, and 2 years probation.
Early life and education
editJohnson-Harrell was raised in poverty in a family that suffered from generations of substance abuse.[6] She received support from welfare and lived in public housing.[6] She earned an associate's degree in behavioral health in 1999. She also earned a bachelor's degree in applied science in 2002 and a master's degree in social work from the University of Pennsylvania in 2004.[7]
Career
editJohnson-Harrell worked as supervisor of victim services for the Philadelphia District Attorney's office.[2] She is the founder of the CHARLES Foundation (Creating Healthy Alternatives Results in Less Emotional Suffering) which was established in 2011 after the mistaken identity shooting death of her 18-year-old son, Charles André Johnson.[8] The CHARLES foundation is focused on improving the lives of young people, their neighborhoods and "common-sense" gun control legislation to reduce violence.[9]
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
editJohnson-Harrell was elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for the 190th district on March 12, 2019 during a special election held after Vanessa Lowery Brown resigned due to her conviction on corruption and bribery charges.[10] She was sworn into office on March 25, 2019.[11] During her swearing in, she made headlines after state Representative Stephanie Borowicz made a Christian prayer that invoked Jesus 13 times, praised Trump, praised Israel, and said, "God forgive us — Jesus — we’ve lost sight of you, we’ve forgotten you, God, in our country, and we’re asking you to forgive us, Jesus." Johnson-Harrel criticized this as "weaponized prayer" and as an example of Islamophobia.[12]
Criminal charges
editIn December 2019, Johnson-Harrell pled guilty to charges of perjury, tampering with public records, theft by unlawful taking and theft by deception and contributions of corporations related to her personal use of $500,000 over the course of a decade from a non-profit organization Motivation Education and Consultation Associates. She announced that she would resign from the Pennsylvania House of Representatives due to these charges.[13] In August 2020, Johnson-Harrell was released from prison to begin serving house arrest.[14]
References
edit- ^ Brennan, Chris (February 25, 2020). "Democrat Roni Green wins special election to Pa. House from West Philly". www.inquirer.com. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
- ^ a b Brennan, Chris (March 12, 2019). "Movita Johnson-Harrell wins state House special election in West Philly". www.philly.com. Retrieved March 27, 2019.
- ^ Stamm, Don (March 13, 2019). "Historic Win in West Philly Special Election Sees Muslim Woman Claiming Victory in State First". www.nbcphiladelphia.com. Retrieved March 28, 2019.
- ^ "Movita Johnson-Harrell". www.ballotpedia.com. Retrieved March 27, 2019.
- ^ Scolforo, Mark. "Muslim lawmaker offended by colleague's prayer: 'To use Jesus as a weapon is not OK'". www.washingtontimes.com. Retrieved March 27, 2019.
- ^ a b Feller, As told to Madison (April 4, 2019). "Her Father and Brother Were Murdered. When Her Son Was Too, She Ran for Office". ELLE. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
- ^ "Movita Johnson-Harrell". www.legis.state.pa.us. Retrieved March 27, 2019.
- ^ "Movita Johnson Harrell". www.senatorhughes.com. Retrieved March 27, 2019.
- ^ "The CHARLES Foundation". www.thecharlesfoundation.com. Retrieved March 27, 2019.
- ^ D'onofrio, Michael (March 12, 2019). "W. Philly voters elect Movita Johnson-Harrell to represent 190th Pa. House District". www.phillytrib.com. Retrieved March 27, 2019.
- ^ "Johnson-Harrell sworn in, set to begin first term as state representative". www.pahouse.com. Retrieved March 28, 2019.
- ^ Keneally, Meghan. "Islamophobia: Critics decry Christian prayer at swearing-in of Muslim lawmaker". www.abnews.go.com. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
- ^ "West Philadelphia State Lawmaker to Plead Guilty to Stealing $500,000 from Non-Profit". www.nbcphiladelphia.com. December 4, 2019. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
- ^ Shaw, Julie (August 5, 2020). "Former State Rep. Movita Johnson-Harrell ordered to house arrest in her nonprofit theft case". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved August 11, 2020.