Shirley Chisholm (1924-2005)
Shirley Chisholm was born Shirley Anita St. Hill on November 30, 1924 in Brooklyn, New York. Brooklyn was where she would spend most of her early life, graduating from Brooklyn Girls High School and Brooklyn College in the 1940’s (‘42 and ‘46, respectively), but she briefly stayed with extended family in Barbados during her early life. This was so her parents, both immigrants, could stay in America and work during the Great Depression in order to save enough money for proper living. Despite her unusual childhood, Shirley was stellar in the classroom. She received high praise at Brooklyn High and attained her B.A. in Sociology from Brooklyn College with cum laude honors. She was also a star on their debate team.
After her undergraduate studies, Ms. St. Hill began working as a nursery school teacher. It was during this time she married her first husband, Conrad Chisholm, in 1949. Three years later, in 1952, she attained her Masters degree from Columbia University in Early Childhood Education. Gaining her masters was followed by her becoming the director of two daycare centers in Brooklyn, before becoming an educational consultant for New York City’s division of day care in 1959. Chisholm served as an educational consultant until 1964.
What cut her consultant days short? Chisholm decided to run for a spot on the New York state Legislature in 1964. She won, and became the second African-American to do so. Shortly after earning her seat in the state Legislature, heavy congressional redistricting within the state of New York, especially in Shirley Chisholm’s own neighborhood, caught many people’s eye, including Ms. Chisholm’s. New York’s 12th Congressional District was now primarily Democrat, and when news came out that the incumbent was running for re-election in a new district, Chisholm seized the opportunity next election cycle to gain her own seat.
Ms. Chisholm ran for and won her Congressional seat in 1968, after two terms in the state Legislature, and was officially sworn in January 3rd, 1969. She was the first African American woman to be elected into congress, and the only woman in her Congressional ‘freshman’ class. Nonetheless, Ms. Chisholm was very active in Congress throughout her tenure. She served on multiple committees, and was very active in all of them. A notable act was her role in the establishment of The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) while she served on the House Agriculture Committee.
In 1972, Shirley Chisholm raised the bar for herself again by running for President of the United States. In announcing her campaign, Chisholm made note that she is not the ‘Black’ candidate, or the ‘Women’s’ candidate (though she was ‘proud to be both’), but a candidate for all American People. Still, Shirley faced a great deal of discrimination during her campaign (and while in Congress), but it never keep her from being vocal on issues that she saw as important. Shirley is on record saying she felt more discrimination as a Woman than as an African American, and the lack of support from the males of the Congressional Black Caucus solidified that statement during her presidential run. Ms. Chisholm was only allowed one TV appearance (they excluded her from the first three televised debates, but they let her after she sought legal action, and she became the first woman ever to appear in a presidential debate), also showing the discrimination to which she was subject. Ms. Chisholm fought hard against it, but between having an underfunded and under organized campaign, alongside the fact that the American public was not ready for a Black Woman as their president, she ended up with only 152 delegate votes from just 12 primaries.
Although she did not win, Shirley Chisholm brought national attention to issues we still protest about today, and brought everlasting change to American politics while in Congress. From 1964 to 1983, outside of disrupting the status quo socially, Ms. Chisholm had worked on…
A bill to give domestic workers a minimum wage
Expanding the Federal Food Stamp program (hence her work on the WIC bill)
Co-founding the Congressional Black Caucus (only woman to start)
Co-founding the National Women’s Political Caucus
Withdrawing from the Vietnam War & reducing Military expenses
Increasing Spending on Education, Healthcare, & other Social Services.
& more after Congress, as well
Shirley Chisholm ‘walked’ so a lot of our politicians could ‘run’ today. Shirley Chisholm ‘ran’ so our politicians could ‘walk’, honestly. She was a Black Woman progressive, who was slighted at almost every turn of her political career, from being neglected by the CBC to only being allowed one televised appearance during her presidential campaign. Yet, she never lost sight of her goals, nor her morals, even after her political career.
Chisholm left Congress in 1983, deciding not to run for reelection of New York’s Congressional District 12, after the political scene became too “factional” under Reagan. Let it be known that this was well after she claimed her seat at the table. She made sure her voice was heard all throughout her career, because she knew the irreplaceable perspective she held as a Black Woman, despite everyone, including the Black men in Congress, trying to belittle her. She knew that her seat at the table was our seat at the table, and for that, we must all be grateful. Thank you, Ms. Shirley Chisholm.
Read my sources on Shirley Chisholm here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.
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