Unbought And Unbossed by Shirley Chisholm

While Chisholm faced resistance during the Democratic primary due to her race and gender, she ultimately prevailed, defeating her general election opponents in a landslide.Īs an assemblywoman from 1965 through 1968, Chisholm advocated for legislation that would extend unemployment benefits to domestic workers, argued against New York’s literacy test only allowing English, and pushed for more Black representation in the Assembly’s key committees. Chisholm did not feel that wealthy white politicians made the best decisions for their majority Black, working-class constituents.Ĭhisholm once said, “If they don’t give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair.” After years of activism in politics and child welfare, Chisholm ran for a seat in the New York General Assembly. However, she often found herself disenfranchised as a Black, female, first-generation American in these groups, particularly those that were predominately white and/or male. Most notably, she campaigned in favor of Brooklyn’s first Black judge, and was a member of the League of Women Voters, the Brooklyn Democratic Clubs, and the Unity Democratic Club. Chisholm, never had children of their own, Chisholm continued to advocate for youth throughout her life.Ĭhisholm volunteered with local political organizations as a community organizer and activist. Chisholm earned her Master’s degree at Columbia University’s Teachers Colleges, served as director of several daycares, and was a consultant for the Division of Day Care in the New York Office of Children and Family Services.

Her dedication to community change led her to a career in early childhood education. She graduated cum laude from Brooklyn College with a degree in sociology. At nine years old, Chisholm and her sisters reunited with their parents in Brooklyn.

She would later credit her grandmother for teaching her “strength, dignity, and love.” She also attributed her passion for social justice to her father, a dedicated supporter of trade unions and Jamaican activist Marcus Garvey.

Chisholm and her two sisters went to live with their grandmother in Barbados for several years. Hill in Brooklyn, New York, to Guyanese and Bajan parents who had immigrated to the U.S. Her work continues to inspire women half a century later.Ĭhisholm was born Shirley Anita St. In The Inferior Sex, Caposhi Rev’s cover star is “Shirley Chisholm, candidate and trendsetter.” But beyond that, the real-life Chisholm was a trailblazer: the first Black woman elected to Congress, the first Black person and woman to run for president in a major party primary, and active in politics and education throughout her life.

Unbought And Unbossed by Shirley Chisholm