Shirley Chisholm: A Graceful Warrior

Shirley Chisholm's work in politics began in the 1950's when she and her husband, Conrad helped found the Bedford-Stuyvesant Political League and continue in 1960 with the founding of the Unity Democratic Club to mobilize Black and Hispanic voters. She was elected to the New York Assembly in 1964, and in 1968 she became the first African American woman elected to Congress. During her first term in Congress, Chisholm hired an all-female staff and spoke out for civil rights, women's rights, the poor, and against the Vietnam War. She was the Co-founder of the National Organization for Women (NOW), which here Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton remembers was of great significance:

She was one of the country's foremost feminists at a time when some blacks wondered whether the new women's movement would compromise their own struggle. She led Americans in understanding that feminism was not for whites only. Shirley's taste for feminism was drawn from the same well that nurtured her fight for underdogs of every variety.

Chisholm challenged women by saying, "Women in this country must become revolutionaries. We must refuse to accept the old, the traditional roles and stereotypes."

In 1972, Shirley Chisholm became the first African American woman candidate for President of the United States, receiving 151 delegate votes at the Democratic National Convention. "It was natural for Shirley to go for broke and run for president," reflects Congresswoman Norton. "She believed that taking risks to remove obstacles came with who she was — a black woman who was proud of being both black and female." Chisholm served in Congress until 1982 when she retired. According to Future PAC Board member and Political Strategist Donna Brazile, her activism extended well beyond her tenure as Congresswoman:

Upon her retirement from Congress, "Mrs. C" became deeply committed to recruiting young women to actively participate in politics. As founder and the first national chairwoman of the National Political Congress of Black Women, Mrs. C worked tirelessly to expand the number of Black women in elected office. Later, I worked for her and she taught me how to navigate the political system.

Shirley Anita St. Hill Chisholm was a political pioneer, not only for African-American women but also for anyone who operates at what Future PAC President Dr. Julianne Malveaux calls, "the margins of power." She devoted her life to public service and to improving the quality of life for people in the community she served, as well as all others struggling to attain justice and equality in America.