“You don’t make progress by standing on the sidelines, whimpering and complaining. You make progress by implementing ideas.”

– Shirley Chisholm

Women in politics have come a long way here in the United States. And I wanted to highlight someone who paved the way for not only women but other minorities to advance. Shirley Chisholm.

Shirley Anita St. Hill Chisholm was the first African American woman in Congress and the first to run for President of the United States. Born in Brooklyn, New York, Chisholm was a strong advocate for women and minorities. She joined local chapters of the League of Women voters, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the Urban League, and the Democratic Party Club in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, to fight racial and gender inequality. She also co-founded the National Women’s Political Caucus in 1971, and in 1977 became the first Black woman and the second woman to serve on the House Rules Committee.

I want to share a clip of Mrs. Chisholm declaring her Presidential Bid in 1972. If you have any additional information or would like to address any of the points made, feel free to comment below.

Until Next Time…

(Sources)

Michals, D. (n.d.). Shirley Chisholm. Retrieved February 3, 2020, from https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/shirley-chisholm