Shirley Anita St. Hill Chisholm (November 30, 1924 – January 1, 2005) was an American politician who served in New York's 12th congressional district, a district centered on Bedford–Stuyvesant, for seven terms from 1969 to 1983. She would achieved several historic milestones during her lifetime, such as the first black candidate for a major-party nomination for President of the United States and the first woman to run for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination.
Shirley Chisholm was born to immigrant parents from Barbados, making her the daughter of Caribbean immigrants. She attended Brooklyn College and later earned a master's degree in elementary education from Columbia University. Chisholm started her career as an educator, working as a nursery school teacher and later as the director of a child care center in New York City.
In 1964, Shirley Chisholm made her entry into politics, representing Brooklyn's Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood in the New York State Assembly. She became the second African American woman to serve in the state legislature. In 1968, Chisholm made history by becoming the first African American woman elected to the United States Congress. She represented New York's 12th Congressional District. During her time in Congress, Chisholm advocated for education, healthcare reform, and social justice. She co-founded the Congressional Black Caucus and was a founding member of the Congressional Women's Caucus. Chisholm served on several committees, including the House Agriculture Committee and the Veterans' Affairs Committee.
Then in 1972, Shirley Chisholm announced her candidacy for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination, becoming the first African American woman to run for a major party's nomination and the first woman to seek the Democratic Party's nomination. Her campaign slogan was "Unbought and Unbossed." Her campaign was underfunded, only spending $300,000 in total. She also struggled to be regarded as a serious candidate instead of as a symbolic political figure; the Democratic political establishment ignored her, and her black male colleagues provided little support. She would face discrimination as both a black person and a woman, facing prejudice from both white and black men. Security was also a concern, as, during the campaign, three confirmed threats were made against her life with her husband Conrad Chisholm served as her bodyguard until U.S. Secret Service protection was given to her. Chisholm's base of support was ethnically diverse and included the National Organization for Women and had support from feminist thinkers such as Betty Friedan and Gloria Steinem. All together during the primary season, she received 430,703 votes, which was 2.7 percent of the total of nearly 16 million cast and represented seventh place among the Democratic contenders.
Chisholm created controversy when she visited rival and ideological opposite George Wallace in the hospital soon after he was shot during the presidential primary campaign. Several years later, when Chisholm worked on a bill to give domestic workers the right to a minimum wage, Wallace helped gain votes from enough Southern congressmen to push the legislation through the House.
After leaving Congress in January 1983, Shirley Chisholm authored two books, "Unbought and Unbossed" and "The Good Fight," where she discussed her experiences in politics and her vision for America. Chisholm continued to speak out on issues such as women's rights and civil rights until her passing. She received numerous awards and honors for her contributions to American politics and society.
Died on January 1, 2005, after suffering a series of small strokes the previous summer.
Appearances in fiction
- She appeared in the miniseries Mrs. America —which explores the unsuccessful political movement to pass the Equal Rights Amendment and the unexpected backlash led by conservative activist Phyllis Schlafly in the 1970s— played by Uzo Aduba.
- She will be in an upcoming film directed by Cherien Dabis called The Fighting Shirley Chisholm, a film about Chisholm's 1972 run for president with Danai Gurira as Chisholm.
- She will appear in an upcoming Netflix series, with Regina King starring as Chisholm directed by John Ridley.
- Appears in a recurring segment in History of the World Part II played by Wanda Sykes, which loosely detailed Chisholm's presidential bid stylized as episodes of a 1970s sitcom called Shirley! and features Gloria Steinem declining to endorse Shirley, despite the fact that the real Gloria actually did endorse Shirley and even attempted to run as her delegate in New York.
