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Shirley Anita St. Hill was born in Brooklyn in 1924 to West Indian parents. She graduated from Girls High School and Brooklyn College and later earned a master's degree in education from Columbia University. After working as a day-care teacher, she became a supervisor of daycare centers for New York City. During the 1950s Chisholm entered Democratic politics and supported rising African American candidates. In 1964 she was elected to represent Bedford-Stuyvesant in the New York State Assembly. Four years later, she became the first African American woman elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. Outspoken and independent, she campaigned with the slogan, "Fighting Shirley Chisholm--Unbought and Unbossed." In the assembly and in Congress she championed the rights of women, children, and minorities and was a vocal opponent of the Vietnam War.

Chisholm was never afraid to speak her mind. She championed the underdog against the privileged, was a critic of the establishment, and became an eloquent spokeswoman for reform. Her public career was fueled by anger at the dismissive treatment she received at the hands of political leaders. Despite her strong record as an organizer and advocate, male colleagues seldom took her seriously. Chisholm often claimed that she met with more discrimination being a woman than she did being black. At a time when the women's movement was beginning to gain national recognition, Chisholm emerged as one of its most prominent leaders. Her political career, especially her presidential candidacy, was an effort to convince the country that women deserved an equal voice in government.

In an era when women are commonly seen as heads of state and well represented among U.S. governors, representatives, and senators, it is easy to forget that for much of the twentieth century it was rare to see a woman holding an important political office. The same could be said about the absence of African Americans in high government positions before the 1970s. The dramatic surge in the number of female and African American officeholders in the last third of the twentieth century was made possible by the energy and dedication of such farsighted activists as Shirley Chisholm.

Chisholm was a pioneer and trailblazer. She went places no African American woman had gone before, and her accomplishments opened doors for hundreds of women who followed in her footsteps. She pursued a career in politics, building a reputation as a relentless grassroots campaigner at a time when blacks and women were effectively barred from higher office. Her most significant contribution was as a role model and source of inspiration for younger protegees. In the forty years after she first took her seat in Congress, more than twenty other African American women were elected to the House of Representatives. Chisholm realized that she had no realistic chance of winning the presidency in 1972, but she ran to call attention to issues that no other candidate addressed and to pave the way for others. The emergence of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton as the leading contenders for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2008 was due, in part, to Chisholm's pioneering effort.

Chisholm's name is not associated with any major legislation. Her unwillingness to "play ball" with the entrenched political leadership limited her legislative effectiveness. She was not a person who suffered injustice in silence. Her vocal condemnation of the discrimination she encountered did not win friends among her fellow representatives. When named to the Agriculture Committee at the beginning of her first term in Congress, Chisholm loudly complained that the position was irrelevant to the needs of her urban district and eventually received a better assignment. This display of insubordination, however, did not endear her to the "old boys" who controlled the House of Representatives and the Democratic Party.

In January 1972 Chisholm announced that she was seeking the Democratic presidential nomination. Her candidacy was enthusiastically embraced by feminist activists but did not gain the backing of top party leaders, including any African American men. Because she lacked money and organization, her presidential bid was viewed as a largely symbolic effort. One of the most dynamic and colorful public speakers of her era, she was in demand as a lecturer, especially on college campuses. After serving seven terms in Congress, she announced in 1982 that she would not seek reelection. In retirement, she continued to lecture widely and taught politics and women's studies at Mount Holyoke College. She died in Ormond Beach, Florida, in 2005.

Reference:

Duffy, Susan. Shirley Chisholm: A Bibliography of Writings by and about Her. Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press, 1988.

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