Chisholm, Shirley (1924–2005)

An educator and politician, Shirley Anita St. Hill Chisholm was an outspoken advocate for social and economic change. A woman who billed herself for her integrity, she was a skilled orator and writer, the first black woman elected to Congress, and the first black woman to campaign for the presidency. Opposed to relying exclusively on the votes of the black community or women, Chisholm represented herself as the candidate of the people, attempting to reshape society as more just and free.

Chisholm was a well-known orator and writer. Scholar-activists analyzing black womanhood, including Patricia Hill Collins, cite Shirley Chisholm as an early leader in addressing the multiple forms of oppression that shape black women's experiences. Early in her career, Chisholm wrote and spoke openly about issues still current today: racism and segregation, sexism, urban poverty, and the power dynamics of politics. She was a critic of the House of Representatives' seniority-based committee system and spoke on behalf of other people of color, including Native Americans and Latino/a migrants. Her legacy includes energetic speeches supporting controversial positions, including opposition to the Vietnam War and support for the Equal Rights Amendment. It also includes two books, Unbought and Unbossed, an autobiography, and The Good Fight, chronicling her bid for the 1972 Democratic presidential nomination.

Chisholm financed her early campaigns with personal savings and small grassroots donations. Since she became the first black woman in Congress in 1968, there have been 13 others, one of whom, Barbara Lee, worked on Chisholm's presidential campaign. During her seven terms in Congress, Chisholm sustained constituent support despite her unwillingness to endure political conventions. She was a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus, although she routinely voted based on her conscience rather than her colleagues. She was known, but not apologetic, for not playing by the rules; this often left her at odds with political colleagues.

After leaving Congress, Chisholm was named to the Purington Chair at Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts, where she taught for 4 years. In 1984, she helped found the National Political Congress of Black Women. Because of ill health, she was unable to accept President Clinton's 1993 nomination as Ambassador to Jamaica. Chisholm died January 1, 2005.