Shirley Chisholm

Shirley Chisholm
Adam Cuerden · Public domain · source
Name	Shirley Chisholm
Caption	Chisholm in 1972
Office	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 12th congressional district
Term start	January 3, 1969
Term end	January 3, 1983
Predecessor	Edna F. Kelly
Successor	Major Owens
Birth name	Shirley Anita St. Hill
Birth date	30 November 1924
Birth place	Brooklyn, New York City, U.S.
Death date	1 January 2005
Death place	Ormond Beach, Florida, U.S.
Party	Democratic
Spouse	Conrad Chisholm (m. 1949; div. 1977), Arthur Hardwick Jr. (m. 1977; died 1986)
Alma mater	Brooklyn College (BA), Columbia University (MA)
Occupation	Educator, Author, Politician

Shirley Chisholm. Shirley Chisholm was an American politician, educator, and author who became a significant, though often controversial, figure in the United States Congress and the broader civil rights movement. A member of the Democratic Party, she is best known for being the first African-American woman elected to Congress and for her groundbreaking 1972 presidential campaign. Her career emphasized expanding access to the political process and advocating for social programs, though her approach sometimes challenged the established leadership of both the civil rights and political establishments.

Early Life and Education

Shirley Anita St. Hill was born in Brooklyn, New York City, to immigrant parents from Barbados and Guyana. For part of her childhood, she and her sisters were sent to live with their grandmother in Barbados, where she received a strict British-style education. She returned to Brooklyn for high school and excelled academically. She attended Brooklyn College on scholarship, graduating cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in sociology in 1946. During her college years, she was active in debate and political groups, developing the oratory skills for which she would later be known. She earned a Master of Arts in early childhood education from Teachers College at Columbia University in 1952. Before entering politics, she worked as a nursery school teacher, a director of childcare centers in New York City, and later as an educational consultant for the New York City Division of Day Care.

Political Career and Election to Congress

Chisholm's political career began in local New York politics. She served in the New York State Assembly from 1965 to 1968, representing the 55th District in Brooklyn. In the Assembly, she sponsored over 50 bills, including one that established the SEEK program to provide disadvantaged students access to college education. In 1968, she ran for the newly redrawn 12th Congressional District, a seat created following a Supreme Court decision on legislative apportionment. She won the Democratic primary, defeating civil rights leader James Farmer, who was running as a Republican in the general election. Her victory made her the first African-American woman elected to the United States Congress.

1972 Presidential Campaign

On January 25, 1972, Chisholm announced her historic candidacy for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States, becoming the first African-American candidate for a major party's presidential nomination and the first woman to run for the Democratic presidential nomination. Her campaign slogan was "Unbought and Unbossed." She entered the race to challenge the status quo and give a voice to those she called the "forgotten Americans"—the poor, women, and minorities. Despite a lack of support from the Democratic National Committee and major civil rights organizations like the NAACP and the SCLC, she entered several primaries. She won 28 delegates and received 152 first-ballot votes at the 1972 Democratic National Convention in Miami Beach, where the nomination ultimately went to George McGovern. Her campaign is remembered as a symbolic challenge to the political establishment.

Legislative Work and Civil Rights Advocacy

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