Welcome to Rep. Bishop's Home Page

Municipalities:

Part of PHILADELPHIA County consisting of the CITY of Philadelphia (PART, Wards 04 [PART, Divisions 04, 05, 06, 09, 10, 11, 16, 17, 18 and 21], 34 and 52 [PART, Divisions 05, 15, 17, 18, 19, 20, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26 and 27]).

Total population: 59,421

School Districts:

Public Schools

Dimner Beeber
Guion S. Blufford
Lewis B. Cassidy
Daroff School
Samuel Gompers
Edward Heston
Robert E. Lamberton
William B. Mann Elementary
Overbrook Elementary
Overbrook High School
Overbrook Educational Center
Overbrook School for the Blind
Parochial Schools
Our Lady of Lourdes
Our Lady of the Rosary
St. Donato
St. Rose of Lima

Private Schools:

Torah Academy of Greater Philadelphia
Chalutzin Academy
Talmudical Yeshiva of Philadelphia

Charter Schools

Harambee Institute

Colleges:

St. Joseph's University

Community Groups:

Wynnfield Residents Association
Overbrook Farms East Residents Association
Overbrook Park Civic Association
Lansdowne Town Watch
Carroll Park Community Council
ICAN
Overbrook Community Council
Overbrook Leadership Council
Overbrook Neighborhood Improvement Council
Dewey & Race Street Association

Industries:

PECO
First Union
Boas Box Company
Acme Market
Nucare Ambulance

Of Interest:

St. Joseph's University
Historic Overbrook High School
Historic Overbrook Farms
WHAT-AM Radio Station (African-American owned and operated)
Home of Wilt Chamberlain, NBA basketball star; Will Smith, actor and rapper; Guion S. Blufford, astronaut; Bill Cosby, entertainer.

Aging & Older Adult Services
Education
Health & Human Services, Subcommittee Chair, Human Services
State Government
Democratic Policy

Louise Williams Bishop has achieved an incredible degree of personal success in three separate, but related careers � radio, the ministry and politics. The theme that runs through all her work is her desire to bring inspiration and assistance to those people in need.

Born in Cairo, Georgia, she moved to Philadelphia as a young child. A graduate of West Philadelphia High School, she earned a degree in communications and radio broadcasting from the American Foundation of Dramatic Arts. Although drawn to the emerging field of television, she began her communications career at WHAT radio, as the youngest voice in radio. She immediately fell in love with radio and the power and responsibility the microphone gave her to communicate with the masses on a daily basis. Moving to WDAS-AM, she has hosted her own program for over 43 years, where she currently is host and gospel programmer of �The Louise Bishop Show�. Her program is consistently one of the highest rated shows at the station and is an institution in the Philadelphia media market. She has used this forum to inform and unite people around social, civic and religious issues; to advocate for services for the poor, including job search; and to bring the message of political leaders to the people.

In 1978 she was called to the ministry and became an ordained Evangelist by the Pennsylvania Baptist Association. She felt God moving her to minister more than just between records on her gospel program. Having just experienced the hurt and pain of a recent divorce, she felt she could minister to those with the same heartache and sorrow. She has served her ministry with the Message of God�s Saving Grace since that time and preaches and teaches all over the City, including conducting revivals all along the East Coast.

One Sunday morning in 1987, a blind man whose wife had deserted him and their five young children (three still in diapers), called into Louise�s gospel program begging for help. She opened the microphone and asked the people of Philadelphia to respond. Within five minutes the City�s Managing Director, as well as scores of people, answered the call. The power of that response led to the beginning of her third career.

Recognizing how good God had been to her, she realized she had to do more and made the decision to run for the open state representative seat created by Chakah Fattah�s move to Congress. She was first elected to serve in the state House of Representatives in 1988 and has been overwhelmingly re-elected to office nine times by her constituents of the 192nd Legislative District. Located in West Philadelphia, her District is a diverse area that encompasses some of Philadelphia�s most affluent and poorest residents. It is also home to many Philadelphia institutions including St. Joseph�s University, Overbrook High School and Pinn Memorial Baptist Church.

As part of her legislative duties, Representative Bishop serves on a number of committees, including Aging and Youth; Health and Human Services (Subcommittee Chair on Health); State Government and Democratic Policy. She is the most senior African-American woman serving in the General Assembly, is a former officer of the Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus and is currently the Co-Chairman of the Philadelphia Delegation and a part of the Alzheimer�s Awareness Caucus.

Representative Bishop has sponsored legislation to address a number of critical issues, including domestic violence, day care, mandatory drug treatment, education and health care. She is most proud of the legislation, which improves the quality of life for children and older people. In her district she sponsors an annual �Spring Fling� Fair for young people and the �Senior Expo� which brings services to older people. With a keen interest in community development, she convinced Mercy Wellness Center and the University of Pennsylvania to establish a presence in the district. She has worked with St. Joseph�s University and Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary to expand their services into the surrounding community. She has also worked tirelessly to secure resources from state, city and private sources to develop business along urban corridors, especially along Lancaster Avenue, between 52nd and 63rd Streets. She has also supported the renovation of the Overbrook Train Station and new housing development in the Carroll Park area.

Other Offices and Memberships:

Co-chair, Philadelphia Delegation
Member, Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus
National Political Congress of Black Women
NAACP
Advisory Board of Women of Excellence, Inc. in Philadelphia
Philadelphia Black Elected Officials
National Organization of Women
National Conference of State Legislators
STA Human Services Committee of the National Conference of State Legislatures
Afro-American Historical & Cultural Museum
Baptist Minister's Conference
National Association of Women's Clergy
Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary, Board Member
LaSalle University (honorary)
Women's Leadership Forum
Coalition of 100 Black Women
Eastern Baptist Theological Center. Board Member
Linda Creed Breast Cancer Association. Board Member
World Communications Charter School. Board Member
Diversity Apprenticeship Program (DAP). Board Member

The Comey Institute of Industrial Relations

The mission of the Comey Institute of Industrial Relations is to provide affordable education of an excellent quality to employees wishing to study issues that impact their lives at work. The curriculum�s purpose is to advance:

The study of collective bargaining between labor organizations and employers
The knowledge of rights, the principles of equity and the basic communication skills for employees to realize their responsibilities at work, in their communities and in their families
The learning of professional skills necessary in representing employees� interests
The understanding and implementation of policies based in principles of social justice

Overbrook School for the Blind

Overbrook School for the Blindoffers a variety of programs for children of different ages and abilities. The whole school is geared toward supporting students as they grow and learn.

Philadelphia Zoo

America's First Zoo

Saint Joseph's University

Philadelphia's Jesuit University

WDAS 105.3 (FM) - soul and r&b
WDAS 1480 (AM) - gospel