Shirley Chisholm
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| Shirley Chisholm | |
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| In office 1969–1983 |
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| Preceded by | Edna F. Kelly |
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| Succeeded by | Major R. Owens |
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| Died | January 1, 2005 (aged 80) Florida |
| Born | November 30, 1924 Brooklyn, New York, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Conrad Chisholm (divorce)
Arthur Hardwick Jr. (widowed) |
Shirley Anita St. Hill Chisholm (November 30, 1924 – January 1, 2005) was an American politician, educator and author [1]. She was a Congresswoman, representing New York's 12th District for seven terms from 1969 to 1983. In 1968, she became the first African-American woman elected to Congress. On January 23, 1972, she became the first major party African-American candidate for President of the United States. She won 152 delegates.[2], [3] Other women who ran for President of the United States in 1972 include Linda Jenness and Evelyn Reed.
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[edit] Biography
Shirley Anita St. Hill was born in Brooklyn in 1924 of immigrant parents. Her father was born in British Guiana and her mother was Ruby Seale of Barbados. At age three, Shirley was sent to Barbados to live with her grandmother and did not return to the U.S. for seven years. In her 1970 autobiography Unbought and Unbossed, she wrote: "Years later I would know what an important gift my parents had given me by seeing to it that I had my early education in the strict, traditional, British-style schools of Barbados. If I speak and write easily now, that early education is the main reason."
She earned a degree in elementary education from Teachers College, Columbia University. From 1953 to 1959, she was director of the Hamilton-Madison Child Care Center, and from 1959 to 1964, was an educational consultant for the Division of Day Care. Chisholm also wrote two books, Unbought and Unbossed (1970) and The Good Fight (1973).
Chisholm was married to Conrad Chisholm from 1949 to 1977. Upon their divorce, she married Arthur Hardwick, Jr., who died in 1986.
Shirley Chisholm was a member of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.
[edit] Career
In 1964, Chisholm ran for and was elected to the New York State Legislature. In 1968 she ran as the Democratic candidate for New York's 12th District congressional seat and was elected to the House of Representatives. Defeating Republican candidate James Farmer, Chisholm became the first African-American woman elected to Congress.
As a freshman, Chisholm was assigned to the House Agricultural Committee. Given her urban district, she felt the placement was inappropriate and shocked many by asking for reassignment. She was then placed on the Veterans' Affairs Committee. Soon after, she voted for Hale Boggs as House Majority Leader over John Conyers. As a reward for her support, Boggs assigned her to the much-prized Education and Labor Committee; she was the third-highest ranking member when she retired.
Chisholm joined the Congressional Black Caucus in 1969 as one of its founding members. In 1972, she made a bid for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination, receiving 152 delegate votes ,[citation needed] but ultimately losing the nomination to South Dakota Senator George McGovern. Chisholm's base of support was ethnically diverse and included the National Organization for Women. Chisholm said she ran for the office "in spite of hopeless odds, . . . to demonstrate the sheer will and refusal to accept the status quo." Among the volunteers who were inspired by her campaign was Barbara Lee, who continued to be politically active and was elected as a congresswoman 25 years later.
Chisholm created controversy when she visited rival and ideological opposite George Wallace in the hospital soon after his shooting in May 1972, during the 1972 presidential primary campaign. Several years later, when Chisholm worked on a bill to give domestic workers the right to a minimum wage, Wallace helped gain votes of enough southern congressmen to push the legislation through the House.
Throughout her tenure in Congress, Chisholm worked to improve opportunities for inner-city residents. She was a vocal opponent of the draft and supported spending increases for education, healthcare and other social services, and reductions in military spending. She announced her retirement from Congress in 1982. Her seat was won by a fellow Democrat, Major Owens, in 1983.
After leaving Congress, Chisholm was named to the Purington Chair at Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts. She taught there for four years. She also lectured frequently as a public speaker.
[edit] Honors
In 1975 Chisholm was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree by Smith College.
In 1993, she was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame.
[edit] Retirement/Death
Chisholm retired to Florida and died on January 1, 2005. She is buried in Forest Lawn Cemetery in Buffalo.
[edit] Biographical documentary
In February 2005, Shirley Chisholm '72: Unbought and Unbossed, a documentary film [4] was aired on U.S. public television. It chronicles Chisholm's 1972 bid for the Democratic presidential nomination. It was directed and produced by independent, black woman filmmaker Shola Lynch. The film was featured at the Sundance Film Festival in 2004. On, April 9, 2006, the film was announced as a winner of a Peabody Award.
[edit] In popular culture
In the lyrics of the 1988 Biz Markie song "Nobody Beats the Biz", Biz says, "Make you co-op-er-ate with the rhythm, that is what I give em/ Reagan is the pres but I voted for Shirley Chisholm"
In the lyrics of the 2005 Nellie McKay song "Mama and Me" McKay says, "There's a lotta things that I'm proud of in this world / I got a pinch of Shirley Chisholm / And a sprinkle of That Girl."
[edit] References
- ^ PBS P.O.V. documentary. "Chisholm '72: Unbought & Unbossed"
- ^ Jo Freeman, Shirley Chisholm's 1972 Presidential Campaign
- ^ Shirley Chisholm, Our Campaigns
- ^ Chisholm '72 - Unbought & Unbossed by Shola Lynch
[edit] External links
- Biography by Jone Johnson Lewis
- Shirley Chisholm at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Chisholm speech on the Equal Rights Amendment
- Shirley Chisholm's 1972 Presidential Campaign
- Shirley Chisholm biography and video interview excerpts by The National Visionary Leadership Project
- Chisholm '72 - Unbought & Unbossed by Shola Lynch
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by ? |
New York State Assembly, Kings County 17th District 1965 |
Succeeded by DISTRICT ELIMINATED |
| Preceded by NEW DISTRICT |
New York State Assembly, 45th District 1966 |
Succeeded by Max Turshen |
| Preceded by ? |
New York State Assembly, 55th District 1967–1968 |
Succeeded by Thomas Fortune |
| Preceded by Edna F. Kelly |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 12th congressional district 1969–1983 |
Succeeded by Major R. Owens |
