Shirley Chisholm: The First of Many
If you’re like us and grew up in the United States of America education system, you know that there is so much about Black history that has been withheld from our textbooks. While we hate that this is our reality, we know that one of the ways we can fight that system is to educate ourselves independently and preserve our history by sharing it with others. This is exactly what Book of Melanin aims to do and it is exactly why we are excited to share the story of Shirley Chisholm, with you today. She is the first African American woman elected to Congress, first woman to run for the Democratic Party’s Presidential nomination, and the first African American presidential candidate of a major party. But how did she become the first of so many?
Shirley Anita Chisholm (maiden name: St. Hill) was born on November 30th, 1924, in Brooklyn, New York to a Bajan mother and Guyanese father. Due to her family’s economic hardships, she was sent to live with her grandmother in Barbados when she was five years old. Whilst in Barbados, Chisholm attended a strict, traditional, British-style one-room schoolhouse that she attributed much of her success to in her autobiography Unbought and Unbossed. By 1939, she had returned to Brooklyn and was attending the prestigious Girls’ High School in Bedford-Stuyvesant. She excelled in high school and received many scholarships to various colleges. Unfortunately, her family could not afford room and board so she attended Brooklyn College, so that she could live at home. During her time at Brooklyn College, Chisholm became a member of Delta Sigma Theta sorority and the Harriet Tubman Society. In 1946 she graduated with her Bachelor of Arts from Brooklyn College, with a major in sociology and minor in Spanish. She would later go on to be a teacher while she earned her Master of Arts in childhood education from Columbia University.
Chisholm’s political career began in 1953 as she campaigned for Lewis Flagg Jr. to become the first African American judge in Brooklyn. This led to her involvement in the Bedford-Stuyvesant Political League, Brooklyn Democratic Clubs, the League of Women Voters, and the Unity Democratic Club. While dedicating her time to each of these organizations, she pushed to give female members more input in decision making as well as to recruit more people of color into political positions. Compiling her experiences in the political arena, Chisholm ran for the New York State Assembly in 1964, despite the opposition she faced due to her gender, and successfully served her role from 1965-1968. During her tenure on the New York State Assembly, Chisholm successfully fought to have unemployment benefits extended to domestic workers, created a program that gave disadvantaged students the opportunity to attend college while taking remedial education classes, and so much more.
In 1968, Chisholm ran for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives from New York’s 12th congressional district under the campaign slogan “unbought and unbossed” and won, making her the first African American women elected to Congress. During her tenure (1969-1983) as congresswoman, she served on the House Agriculture Committee, worked to expand the food stamp program, played a critical role in the creation of the Special Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), served on the Veterans’ Affair Committee, served on the Education and Labor Committee, fought to increase minimum wage, served as co-president of the National Association for the Repeal of Abortion Laws (NARAL), became co-founder of the National Organization for Women (NOW), etc. She also became a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus and the National Women’s Political Caucus in 1971.
All of which, came in handy when she announced her presidential bid on January 25th, 1972, making her the first African American person to seek the presidential nomination from a major party and the first woman to seek the presidential nomination from the Democratic party. Despite her success as a congresswoman, Chisholm experienced much opposition as a presidential candidate due to her race and gender. So much so that she received at least three threats on her life during her campaign for presidency, cause her husband to serve as her bodyguard until U.S. Secret Service would be assigned to her. Although, she did not win the presidency, she was able to brin racial and gender equity to the national stage, as this was the platform she ran on.
After leaving congress in 1983, Chisholm returned to teaching at Mount Holyoke College in Hadley, MA, as well as serving as visiting professor at Spelman College in Atlanta, GA. She continued to give speeches at over 150 colleges around the nation. She also stayed true to her love for politics, as she campaigned for Jesse Jackson’s 1984 and 1988 presidential election, formed the African American Women for Reproductive Freedom organization. She was even nominated by President Bill Clinton in 1993 to be the United States Ambassador to Jamaica but was unable to serve due to poor health.
Unfortunately, Chisholm was laid to rest in 2005 after a rapid decline in her health. Her legacy continues to be celebrated as she has been inducted into, he National Women's Hall of Fame in 1993, issued a “forever stamp” in her honor by the U.S. Postal Service in 2014, awarded a Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama in 2015, has been recognized as being an inspiration to many political figures, and has had countless documentaries/films made in her honor.
We thank you Ms. Chisholm for your courage to fight for those who couldn’t fight for themselves, and we hope to continue your torch as we inspire future leaders of tomorrow!
