Shirley Anita St. Hill Chisholm was a ground breaker as a woman and as an
Photo by Thomas J. O’Halloran, U.S. News & World Reports.
African American, becoming the first African-American woman in Congress in 1968 and the first woman and African American to seek the presidential nomination in a major political party in 1972.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., on Nov. 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. Chisholm graduated from Brooklyn College cum laude in 1946, where she was an acclaimed member of the debate team. Professors encouraged her to go into politics but she felt she had a “double handicap” being both Black and female.
Chisholm worked as a nursery school teacher and earned a master’s degree from Columbia University in early childhood education in 1951. By 1960, Chisholm was a consultant to the New York City Division of Day Care. She was keenly aware of racial and gender inequality and worked to end them.
In 1964 Chisholm became only the second African American in the New York State Legislature. In 1968 she won a seat in Congress. She became known as “Fighting Shirley” and introduced more than 50 pieces of legislation that championed racial and gender equality, the poor and ending the war in Vietnam.
Chisholm was the co-founder of the National Women’s Political Caucus in 1971, and in 1977 became the first Black woman and second woman ever to serve on the powerful House Rules Committee.
When she ran for the 1972 Democratic Party presidential nomination, discrimination followed her. She was blocked from participating in televised primary debates and, after taking legal action, was permitted to make just one speech. She entered 12 primaries and received 152 of the delegates’ votes, despite an underfinanced campaign and the racism and sexism she endured.
Chisholm retired from Congress in 1983 after serving seven terms. She then taught at Mount Holyoke College and co-founded the National Political Congress of Black Women.
Of her legacy, Chisholm said “I want to be remembered as a woman…who dared to be a catalyst of change.”
Chisholm died on Jan. 1, 2005.
From The National Women’s History Museum, womenshistory.org