Shirley Chisholm (1924 - 2005)

Service is the rent we pay for the privilege of living on this earth.¹
Shirley Chisholm (Nov. 20, 1924 - Jan. 2, 2005).

Shirley Chisholm, who became the first black woman elected to Congress (where she was an outspoken advocate for women and minorities during seven terms in the House) and who later became the first black person to seek a major party's nomination for the U.S. presidency, died on Sunday ~ she was 80 years strong.

Chisholm was elected to the House of Representatives in 1968, and represented New York's Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn ~ which she served until retiring in 1983. Chisholm was also a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus. 

One of the many accomplishments I love about Chisholm is that she was elected to the House when she was 44 years old; before serving in Congress, she had been elected, by a landslide, to the New York State Assembly in 1964, at the age of 40. This gives me hope ~ I still have time ~ women, at any age, can embark on powerful, important political careers! In 1972, in her Presidential Campaign announcement, The Honorable Chisholm said:

I stand before you today as a candidate for the Democratic nomination for the Presidency of the United States. I am not the candidate of black America, although I am black and proud. I am not the candidate of the women's movement of this country, although I am a woman, and I am equally proud of that. I am not the candidate of any political bosses or special interests. I am the candidate of the people.

Her 1972 campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination was viewed as more symbolic than practical ~ but she won 152 delegates before withdrawing from the race, noting later in her 1973 book, The Good Fight:

I ran for the Presidency, despite hopeless odds, to demonstrate the sheer will and refusal to accept the status quo....

When things look utterly hopeless, it takes a strong woman of profound character to hang in there, to show the world her sheer will and refusal to accept the unacceptable, no matter how much it is sugarcoated, no matter how deeply entrenched, no matter how big and loud and rich and oppressive it is.  No, Chisholm didn't just graciously accept her entrance into the hallowed halls of Congress ~ she didn't say, "oh thank you," and tip-toe around, not wanting to rock the boat for fear of being tossed out (like modern-day Democrats do).  When Chisholm was first elected to Congress, she was assigned to the House Agriculture Committee, which she felt was irrelevant to her urban constituency. In an unheard of move, she demanded reassignment and got switched to the Veterans Affairs Committee. Not long afterward she voted for Hale Boggs, who was white, over John Conyers, who was black, for Majority Leader. Boggs rewarded her with a place on the prized Education and Labor Committee and she was its third ranking member when she retired.  She took risks, stayed true to her mission, made waves, and got things done.  I can think of very, very few elected officials who can say the same nowadays.

Not enough of us know about Shirley Chisholm. When you have a chance, read the SFGate news article about her passing, here, and a fantastic, detailed biography, here, and an informative blog post (including links to Chisholm's speeches) over at ms.musings. There was also a documentary about Chisholm, which debuted last year at Sundance: Chisholm '72 -- Unbought and Unbossed. The documentary premieres February 7, 2005 at 10 pm on PBS’ POV series. 

So, here's to Shirley Chisholm ~ a single strong voice for so many of the unheard, a strong role model for women and people of color, and a legacy that is difficult to live up to ~ rock on Sister.
 

^1.  This quote is also attributed to Marian Wright Edelman.

Comments

she's great yes she iz

[a friend]

this site helped me in my project, thanx

[Jasmine Coley]

u go head with yo bad self!!!! power to the people!!!!!

[virginia harvey]

wow her speach is very powerful. im doing a class project on it now andthis page has really helped. if anyone has any other info on her please contact me virginiaharvey422@msn.com

[cindylu]

i heard that she had died, but i knew very little about her. thanks for posting this. it's good to reflect on those who fought the good fight before our parents even met (well, in my case).