Meet my SOTU Guest: Gun Violence Survivor, West Philly Native Kevin Harden Jr.
WASHINGTON, DC — During Tuesday’s State of the Union, Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon will be joined by Kevin Harden, Jr., a West Philly native and lawyer at Ross Feller Casey, LLP, who has survived gun violence and had brushes with the law as a young man before becoming an advocate for the less fortunate.
“I am so grateful to Congresswoman Scanlon for inviting me to join her at this year’s State of the Union,” Harden said. “As an education, criminal justice reform, and common sense gun safety advocate, Congresswoman Scanlon is working to address many of the issues that have impacted my life. It is my hope that my story illustrates to this generation and the next that the challenges we experience do not have to define us — they can inspire us to become champions for progress.”
Harden grew up in West Philadelphia. His mother, struggled with drug addiction during his childhood, and father, who worked several jobs, did all they could to make ends meet. After a tumultuous childhood, where Harden found himself inside of our criminal justice system, he turned a corner when his parents passed and he assumed responsibility as primary caretaker for his younger siblings.
Following his college graduation, Harden decided to pursue law school with a desire to improve access to justice and opportunity for our most marginalized communities. He made his way to the Philadelphia District Attorney’s office, where we worked as a lead prosecutor in the Focused Deterrence Program — a gun violence prevention initiative — and as an advocate for the victims of abuse, sexual assault, and violent crimes.
Harden also served as President of the Barrister’s Association of Philadelphia. During his decade-long executive board tenure, the organization provided nearly $1 million in pro-bono services to Philadelphians in need.
“Kevin’s story is nothing short of inspiring and a testament to the resilience of the human spirit,” Scanlon said. “He has overcome so many of the challenges that hold far too many children and families in my district, and across the country, back and we have an obligation to continue to shine a light on these issues. I am so proud to welcome Kevin as my guest to the State of the Union as we continue this fight for the people.”
The 2020 State of the Union comes nearly 350 days following the House’s passage of two common sense, bipartisan, gun safety bills. At the 2019 State of the Union, Congresswoman Scanlon was joined by two constituents impacted by gun violence.
“We must do all we can to keep a focus on the issue of gun violence. We cannot become numb to this — the country cannot wait,” Scanlon said.
