Shirley Chisholm – Paving the Way for Black Women

In 1972 when two term Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm announced she was running for President, she faced huge barriers as a Black person and as a woman. Instead of stopping her, those obstacles added fuel to her fire. If Kamala Harris is elected as the first Black and South Asian woman president, she will be following the path blazed by Shirley Chisholm and many others.

A longtime educator and community activist, Shirley Chisholm (11/30/1924 - 1/1/2005) was the first black woman elected to the US Congress in 1968 as well as the first African American to run for a major party's nomination for President.

Her motto, and the title of her autobiography—Unbought and Unbossed—illustrates her outspoken advocacy for women and people of color during her seven terms in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Born in Brooklyn, NY, on November 30, 1924, Chisholm was the oldest of four daughters to immigrant parents Charles St. Hill, a factory worker from Guyana, and Ruby Seale St. Hill, a seamstress from Barbados. She graduated from Brooklyn Girls’ High in 1942 and from Brooklyn College cum laude in 1946, where she won prizes on the debate team. Although professors encouraged her to consider a political career, she because of the “double handicap” that she faced as both Black and female. Fortunately, for the world, she didn't let those obstacles stop her.

Shirley Chisholm Presente!