On November 5, 1968, Shirley Chisholm made American political history by becoming the first African American woman elected to the United States Congress.
Representing New York’s 12th Congressional District, which encompassed parts of Brooklyn, Chisholm won her seat as a Democrat in a historical victory that reflected her lifelong commitment to public service and community advocacy.
Chisholm was born in Brooklyn in 1924 to immigrant parents from Barbados and Guyana. Before entering politics, she worked as an educator and childcare advocate, gaining firsthand knowledge of the struggles facing working-class families. Her campaign slogan, “Unbought and Unbossed,” perfectly encapsulated her refusal to be manipulated by party politics.
In Congress, Chisholm focused on issues affecting everyday Americans, including education, employment, and women’s rights. She served seven terms and became a founding member of both the Congressional Black Caucus and the National Women’s Political Caucus.
On August 10, 1970, she gave an epic speech on the Equal Rights Amendment.
“Mr. Speaker, when a young woman graduates from college and starts looking for a job, she is likely to have a frustrating and even demeaning experience ahead of her. If she walks into an office for an interview, the first question she will be asked is, “Do you type?” There is a calculated system of prejudice that lies unspoken behind that question,” she stated.
“Why is it acceptable for women to be secretaries, librarians and teachers, but totally unacceptable for them to be managers, administrators, doctors, lawyers, and members of Congress? The unspoken assumption is that women are different. They do not have executive ability, orderly minds, stability, leadership skills and they are too emotional. It has been observed before that society for a long time discriminated against another minority, the Blacks, on the same basis, that they were different and inferior. The happy, little homemaker and the contended “Old Darkey” on the plantation were both produced by prejudice.”
Four years after her groundbreaking election, Chisholm made history again as the first African American woman to seek a major party’s nomination for president in 1972.
