Philadelphia’s Latino community is mourning the loss of former State Senator Shirley Mae Kitchen, who has died at the age of 79. Born September 18, 1946, in Augusta, Georgia, and educated in Philadelphia’s public schools, Kitchen began her career as a social worker before serving as director of constituent services for then-City Council President John F. Street. The second Black woman ever elected to the State Senate, Kitchen has always been a dear friend to the Latino community, collaborating with Latino leadership for nearly four decades. 

“Senator Shirley Kitchen spent decades fighting for North Philadelphia families who, too often, had no one else in their corner on healthcare, housing, and justice,” said Reverend Luis A. Cortés, Jr., Founder, President and CEO of Esperanza. “On behalf of Esperanza and our Latino community, I extend my deepest condolences to Senator Kitchen’s family and to everyone whose life she touched. Her legacy of service will continue to guide the work we do.”

First elected to the Pennsylvania House for the 181st District, serving in 1987 and 1988, Kitchen worked closely with State Representative Ralph Acosta, a pioneer of Latino political power in the city. Their districts stood side by side like the rowhouses in their neighborhoods. In 1996, she won a special election to the state Senate’s 3rd District, and for two decades, until her retirement in 2016, she was instrumental in lifting the Latino community, and her rapport with the Latino community never faded. 

Philadelphia Councilwoman Quetcy Lozada said Kitchen was “a true fighter for the people who spoke the truth even when it was unpopular. She fought for all of the things that matter deeply to marginalized communities like mine,” said Lozada. “She will be deeply missed. My thoughts and prayers go out to her family and friends.”

State Senator Sharif Street, who now holds her former 3rd District seat, remembered her as family. “Senator Kitchen was more than a mentor to me. She was family. She was an essential part of the village that raised me”, Street said in a public statement. He described Shirley Kitchen as “an organizer, activist, and community leader, part of a generation that transformed Philadelphia politics in the 1970s and 1980s. “She helped  build a movement that brought political power to working-class Black and Brown communities that had for too long been shut out of the halls of government.”

State Representative Malcolm Kenyatta, who now serves her former 181st District, called her “a truly trailblazing individual,” adding, “I’m lucky to have known her and to call her my friend.” Mayor Cherelle Parker said her “dedication to service in the North Philadelphia community is without equal”. 

And for the Latino community, which she embraced as her own, the last word belongs to one of its sons. State Representative Danilo Burgos of the 180th District spoke of Kitchen with endearment. “She was a great human being,” Burgos said. “Kitchen was a pioneer advocating for her community. I am honored to have known her.” 

A memorial service will be held Wednesday, July 22, 2026, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at From the Heart Church Ministries of Philadelphia, 3600