SHIRLEY CHISHOLM
A CATALYST FOR CHANGE
By SANDRA DAWSON LONG WEAVER
Tired of the underrepresentation of people of color in the halls of Congress , New York State Assemblywoman Shirley Chisholm sought a seat in the U . S . House of Representatives in 1968 . Her victory that year made the former Brooklyn , New York schoolteacher the first Black woman elected to Congress .
But Chisholm didn ’ t stop there .
From her first days in office , she worked tirelessly to improve opportunities for inner city residents . She backed spending increases for public education , health care and other social programs . She also championed the expansion of food and nutrition programs .
And still , for her , that wasn ’ t enough .
So , in 1972 , Shirley Chisholm did the unthinkable when she became the first Black woman to seek the presidential nomination of one of this nation ’ s major political parties . The story of her campaign to become the Democratic Party ’ s standard bearer is told in “ Shirley ,” a Netflix biopic movie that was released earlier this year .
Starring Regina King as Chisholm , the movie follows Chisholm ’ s campaign from its early days to the Democratic convention . Brandishing her slogan , “ Unbought and unbossed ,” she traveled the country in a Greyhound bus , taking her campaign to every segment of America .
In announcing her historic candidacy on January 25 , 1972 , Chisholm made it clear that , if elected , she would be a president for all the people of this country .
“ I am not a candidate of Black America , although I am Black and proud ,” Chisholm said that day . “ I am not a candidate of the women ’ s movement of this country , although I am a woman and I ’ m equally proud of that . I am not the candidate of any political bosses , or fat cats or special interests . I stand here now without endorsements from many big-name politicians or celebrities or any other kind of prop … I am the candidate of the people of America .”
Even if she did not win the Democratic Party ’ s presidential nomination , she felt she could influence the eventual nominee to embrace policies that she believed would enhance the lives of Americans . More importantly she wanted to cut a path for other women to follow her .
And she did .
“ Shirley Chisholm changed American politics forever ,” Rep . Barbara Lee , D-California , told me during a recent interview . “ Shirley Chisholm flipped the script and left an indelible legacy , all while holding the door open for the rest of us to step through . She was the first Black woman elected to
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