Shirley Chisholm
Shirley Chisholm
Shirley Chisholm was born in Brooklyn, New York on November 30, 1924, and died on January 1, 2005. Chisholm was the first woman and first person of color to bid for a major party. Chisholm was outspoken and had strong opinions, and had a determination that made people stop and listen. Chisholm volunteered at different community helping organizations and worked with local political organizations, and became more involved with politics in college.
Shirley Chisholm spent seven years of her childhood in Barbados, an island in the Caribbean. She came to the US and lived in Brooklyn, New York. Chisholm worked as a teacher in Brooklyn, and made herself a leader and advocate in her neighborhood. She worked at local political organizations and volunteered at local community-helping organizations.
Chisholm believed in and stood up for equal rights for everyone. In 1964, she got a place in the New York State Assembly, and later, in 1968, Chisholm became the first Black woman in the US Congress. When she announced she would run for president in 1972, she was outspoken and had strong opinions, which made her intimidating to her opponents and appealing to US citizens. According to Vashti Harrison, “She ultimately lost, but she did achieve her goal of making her party more aware of and responsive to the people.”
Chisholm’s actions during her life showed others that anyone has the power to do anything if they really try. She showed the world that with courage and determination, you can do anything. I would consider Chisholm an unsung hero because she ran for president, but lost, so when she ran the people born after her, likely do not know about her, because people who lose presidential elections are not really mentioned after they ran, and she got farther than anyone before her.
Shirley Chisholm was an inspiring woman who ran after her dreams and stood up for what she believed in. She was determined, true to herself, and ready to do what it took to get what she wanted and make the changes she believed should happen. Chisholm never gave up, and it paid off. As Chisholm said, “If they don’t give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair.” If you want to learn more about Chisholm, or another woman who ran for president, here is a link to a podcast. It is outdated (Feb. 6, 2020), but there is still good information. Chisholm is the second person mentioned. Throughline - She Got Next
Works Cited
Harrison, Vashti. Little Leaders : Bold Women in Black History. London, Puffin, 2019, chrome-extension://feepmdlmhplaojabeoecaobfmibooaid/drive.google.com/uc?id=1-0UHXXDICeaCbw2mz-2x8aJq745jjQy5&export=download&filename=Attachment:%20PDF:%20Evelyn%20Mills%20-%20Unsung%20Heroes-Choices%202&ClassroomRetUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fclassroom.google.com%2Fc%2FMTQ4MjEwMTc5Nzc0%2Fa%2FMjUzNDkyMDkzNTM2%2Fdetails. Accessed 12 Feb. 2021.
Google. “Google.” Google.com, 2019, www.google.com/?safe=active&ssui=on. Accessed 22 Feb. 2021.
I like how many facts you included. One question I have is how many black women have been in congress since Shirley Chisholm?
ReplyDeleteSince Shirley Chisholm, there have been 49 African American women in congress. If you count Shirley Chisholm, there have been 50. Shirley Chisholm was the first black woman elected to Congress.
DeleteI think it is cool how she was the first black women in Congress. I didn't know who the first women in congress was. I do also wonder what her main education was.
ReplyDeleteShirley Chisholm taught as a teachers aid at a school in Harlem school after graduating from college in 1946. Then, while furthering her education, she taught at a nursery school, and got an MA in elementary education.
DeleteEMbookworm, I thought it was really interesting that Shirley Chisholm was the closest black woman to make it as the president. What is your favorite thing about Shirley Chisholm.
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite things about Shirley Chisholm was that she was ready to do what it took, and no matter what happened, she wouldn't back down until the end. It was good she was so determined, because if she had dropped out of the presidential election she wouldn't have made history. Also, I like that Shirley Chisholm has a funny way of retelling what happened to her during her life. It is a good look at how she thought of life, and how she was going to act if someone came up to her and told her she couldn't be where she was (someone actually did that).
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