Background
Evans grew up in the Germantown and West Oak Lane sections of Philadelphia and is a graduate of the Community College of Philadelphia and Louisiana Salle University.
Evans grew up in the Germantown and West Oak Lane sections of Philadelphia and is a graduate of the Community College of Philadelphia and Louisiana Salle University.
Student, Philadelphia Community College, 1973; Bachelor, La Salle U., 1975; postgraduate, Temple University, 1976-1978.
Early life and education
After graduation, he became a teacher in the School District of Philadelphia and a community activist for the Urban League. Political career
Evans was first elected to office in 1980. His district, which encompasses West Oak Lane in Philadelphia, is heavily Democratic with a 95% African-American population.
As a result, he has had minimal Grand Old Party opposition in winning re-election to his seat.
Since taking office, Evans has run for higher office four times unsuccessfully. In 1986, he sought the Democratic nomination for Lieutenant Governor but finished third in the primary election to future Lieutenant Governor Mark Singel.
In 1994, Evans became the first African American candidate to seek the office of Governor of Pennsylvania. In the Democratic primary election, Evans faced off with Lynn Yeakel and Lieutenant
Governor Singel. Again, however, Evans finished third in the primary with 22%.
Evans has since made two runs for Mayor of Philadelphia. In 2007, despite comments by Governor Rendell that Evans was the "best qualified" for mayor, he finished fifth again taking only 7.82% of the vote. Evans was elected as the Democratic Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee in 1990 and served in that capacity until November 2010.
In 2010, the Philadelphia Tribune named Evans one of the 10 most influential African-Americans in the city.
Other activities
Board of Directors, Fox Chase Cancer Center
Board of Trustees, Pennsylvania Public School Employees Retirement System
National Board of Directors, Black Alliance for Educational Options.
Vice chairman Democratic County Executive Committee, Philadelphia. Member City-Wide Political Alliance, N.W. Political Coalition, Philadelphia Council Neighborhoods. Past counselor Urban League Philadelphia.
Board directors American Red Cross, Philadelphia, Urban League, Philadelphia, Philadelphia Convention Center and Visitor's Bureau, American Diabetes Association.