Shirley Chisholm
Citation: https://www.biography.com/people/shirley-chisholm-9247015
Shirley Chisholm, Biography.com
Shirley Chisholm became the
first African-American congress woman in 1968. In 1972, she ran for presidency
for the democratic party. She was born Shirley Anita St. Hill on November 30th,
1924 in Brooklyn, NY. Chisholm represented the New York state in the U.S. house
of representatives for seven terms. Throughout, her political career she fought
for education opportunities and social justice for minorities. She became one
of the primary members of the black caucus in 1969. Chisholm left congress in 1983 to teach and
she died in Florida in 2005.
Chisholm ’72- unbought and
unbossed 2004, Director: Shola Lynch
At the Concord Baptist Church
in Brooklyn, NY on January 1972 Shirley Chisholm speaks. She says “I stand
before you today as a candidate for the democratic nomination for the
presidency of the United States of America.” Chisholm is the first black woman
to run for office. She called her 1972 campaign “Unbought and Unbossed!” Chisholm
did not want to be known as the first black woman to run for presidency. She
wanted to be remembered for having courage and perseverance. As she addresses
the crowd this is what she said, “I am not the candidate for black America although
I am black and proud. I am not the candidate for the women’s movement of this
country, although I am a woman and I am equally proud of that. I am the
candidate of the people of America.” Before there was Barack Obama there was
Shirley Chisholm who was advocating for social justice, head start and equal
job opportunities. Chisholm was broadcasted everywhere as the CBS evening news
reporter Walter Cronkite reported “Ms. Shirley Chisholm the first black woman
to serve in congress.” She inspired everyone particularly black women like
Barbara Lee. Lee was part of the Black Student Union and the union invited
Chisholm to speak. Chisholm told the union that she is running for president.
Everyone in the Union thought she was crazy, but Lee realized how important it
was to register to vote. Barbara Lee said, “Martin Luther King said the most
important thing for an African-American to do is to evoke their citizenship.” Lee
realized that Chisholm was taking full advantage of her citizenship and that
inspired her to register to vote. In 1972, Chisholm is campaigning for
presidency diligently. She would talk to any group regardless of race, sex or
sexual orientation. The National Organization for Women (NOW) supported her.
Many white women from the organization applauded her courageous efforts to run
for presidency. Chisholm was popular. Shirley Chisholm was West Indian. Her
mother was from Barbados and her father was from Guyana. She was born Shirley
Anita St. Hill. Her mother took her to Barbados to live and receive a strong
education. Chisholm stayed in Barbados for seven years. Then she left Barbados
with her sister in 1934 and her father bought a brownstone in Brooklyn.
Chisholm graduated from Columbia University with a Master’s degree and became a
daycare teacher. She became interested in politics, because she realized that
blacks needed representation. Edmund Muskie, George Wallace, George McGovern,
Hubert Humphrey and Shirley Chisholm all ran for the Democratic Presidential
nomination, while Nixon was running for the republican party. The Vietnam War
was still going on and many young people wanted the war to end, because young
men could be drafted to fight in the war. Therefore, the 26th
amendment was created and the amendment states that 18-year-olds can vote.
Chisholm did not support troops being in the war because she said over 75% in
budget is used for the war. Chisholm was undermining America’s view on women. Black
women were not valued and educated, and Chisholm was the opposite. Women were
discriminated in so many ways. For example, a married woman could not have her
own name printed on a credit card, because it was assumed that her husband paid
the bills. An also women had higher car insurance because insurance companies
taught that a woman would get into more accidents, because she would have her boyfriend’s
drive her car. These issues sparked the women’s movement. Chisolm was in the
center of that because it was unnatural for woman to have ambition. She also
was a positive role model for black children. Chisolm encouraged children to
stay in school and make something of themselves, but others viewed her
differently. She received hate mail and she was attacked three times. A man
tried to stab her in the back with a 10-inch blade and her bumper stickers
would read “Nigger go home!” Even though, Chisholm lost the democratic
presidential nominations, she is a legend. Chisholm broke down barriers.