Spotlight: Shirley A. Chisholm

Congresswoman Shirley Anita St. Hill Chisholm was the first African-American woman elected to Congress. Chisholm was a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus and the first African American to make a serious bid for the Presidency of the United States of America. Congresswoman Chisholm was known for her advocacy on behalf of women and underserved minorities. She was also noted for her opposition to the U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War, her support of full-employment programs, and her efforts on behalf of black colleges, compulsory education, and minimum wage.

Shirley Chisholm was born in New York City on November 30, 1924. She grew up in Barbados and in Brooklyn, New York. She graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree from Brooklyn College in 1946. While working as a teacher, Chisholm earned a Master’s degree in elementary education from Columbia University’s Teacher’s College. Until 1964, she served as a director of a childcare center and an education consultant.

In 1964, Chisholm ran and was elected to the New York State Legislature where she served for four years. Then in 1968, Chisholm became the first African-American woman elected to Congress, representing New York’s 12th District.

Chisholm served the United States House of Representatives for seven terms, from 1968-1983 (91st-97th Congresses). She was the first African-American woman elected to the U.S. Congress and was an effective advocate for the needs of minorities, women and children. Chisholm served on the Education and Labor, Rules, and Veterans Affairs committees. During her fifteen years in the House, Chisholm co-founded the National Political Congress of Black Women, supported the Equal Rights Amendment, and fought to legalize abortions. Chisholm was also a co-founder the National Organization for Women (NOW). In 1972, Chisholm was also the first African-American woman to run for President of the United States. When she retired in 1983, she was the third-highest ranking member of the Education and Labor Committee.

After leaving Congress, Chisholm was named to the Purington Chair at Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts, where she taught politics and women’s studies, while remaining an advocate for education. In both 1984 and 1988 Chisholm worked on the presidential campaigns of Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr. In 1987, she retired from teaching and moved to Florida. Rep. Chisholm died on January 1, 2005.

In February 2005, Shirley Chisholm ’72: Unbought and Unbossed, a documentary film chronicling Chisholm’s 1972 bid for the Democratic presidential nomination, was aired on U.S. public television.

Shirley Chisholm is also the author of two autobiographical works entitled Unbought and Unbossed (1970) and The Good Fight (1973).

November 30, 1924 Born Shirley St. Hill in Brooklyn, NY

1927-1934 Lived in Barbados with maternal grandmother

1942 Graduated from Girls’ High School in Brooklyn, NY

1946 Graduated from Brooklyn College with a Bachelor of Arts degree

1952 Earned a master’s degree from Columbia University’s Teachers College

1949 Married Conrad Chisholm

1953-1959 Director of the Hamilton-Madison Child Care Center

1960 Helped to form a Unity Democratic Club in New York

1959-1964 Served as an educational consultant for the Division of Day Care

1964 Elected to New York State Legislature

1968 Became the first African-American woman elected to Congress. She represented New York’s 12th District

1969 Was one of the founding members of the Congressional Black Caucus. Chisholm was the only woman among the founding members.

1970 Was cofounder of the National Organization for Women (NOW).

1970 Published Unbought and Unbossed

January 23, 1972 Chisholm was the first African-American person to run for President.

1972 Chisholm made a bid for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination. She did not win the nomination, but she did received 151 of the delegates’ votes

1973 Published The Good Fight

1977 Joined the powerful House Rules Committee.

1977 Married Arthur Hardwick

1983 Ended her term as a Congresswoman representing New York’s 12th District

1993 Was nominated to be U.S. ambassador to Jamaica by President Bill Clinton but withdrew because of ill health.

January 1, 2005 Died