Shirley Chisholm
Pioneering Women
Born in Brooklyn to immigrant parents, she lived with her grandmother in Barbados while they worked to get their footing. She went to high school and college in Brooklyn, winning prizes for debate.
She was a preschool teacher and daycare director and earned a graduate degree in early childhood education. She became a consultant to New York City’s Division of Day Care.
Ever aware of racial and gender inequality, she joined national advocacy groups.
She ran for a seat in the New York State Legislature in 1964—and won.
She ran for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1968, campaigning from a sound truck:
Ladies and Gentlemen…this is fighting Shirley Chisholm coming through.
Her opponent argued their district needed “a man’s voice in Washington,” not that of a “little schoolteacher.” She used this to highlight discrimination against women.
She was an outspoken advocate for women and minorities, serving seven terms.
I have no intention of just sitting quietly and observing…I intend to focus attention on the nation’s problems.
“Unbossed and Unbought”
She was the first black candidate to seek nomination for president of the United States from one of the two major political parties. Despite many odds, she received 10% of the vote.
I want to be remembered as a woman…who dared to be a catalyst of change.