Movita Johnson-Harrell facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Movita Johnson-Harrell
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
Personal details
Born	Movita Johnson-Harrell (1966-04-21) April 21, 1966 (age 58)
Political party	Democratic
Residence	Philadelphia
Alma mater	University of Pennsylvania
Occupation	Politician

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. She is the first female Muslim member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.

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

..... She received support from welfare and lived in public housing. 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.

Career

Johnson-Harrell worked as supervisor of victim services for the Philadelphia District Attorney's office. 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. The CHARLES foundation is focused on improving the lives of young people, their neighborhoods and "common-sense" gun control legislation to reduce violence.

Pennsylvania House of Representatives

Johnson-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. She was sworn into office on March 25, 2019. 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.