“I want history to remember me…not as the first black woman to have made a bid for the presidency of the United States, but as a black woman who lived in the 20th century and who dared to be herself. I want to be remembered as a catalyst for change in America.”
Happy Moxie Monthly again! Although there’s plenty of progress to be made ahead, we’ve come a long way. And it’s always important to remember those who blazed the trail for us. Before Obama or Hillary, there was Shirley Chisholm: first black congresswoman, first black woman to run for president, and founder of the Black Congressional Caucus.
Chisholm was born to Barbadian immigrants in Brooklyn, New York. At 5, she moved to Barbados to live with her grandmother and attend school. Here, she gained a lifelong passion for education, strong speaking and writing skills, and her trademark West Indian accent. Her firm but loving upbringing instilled a strong sense of pride in her identity, confidence and dignity that propelled her to success.
She went on to study education, receiving a degree from Columbia while teaching at a nursery school. Eventually, she became a director at a nursery school, and was widely regarded as an authority in her field. Managing the school got Chisholm interested in politics and she began to volunteer at (predominantly white) political clubs in New York.
Chisholm was known for her fiery personality and excellent speaking skills. She ran on a platform of improved access to education, immigrant rights, women and minority rights, and benefits for the working class. She was fiercely anti-war, even when it was unpopular. She faced discouraging amounts of racism and sexism, received death threats, and had to sue to be included in televised debates.
Despite her tough exterior, she was a kind and caring soul. Chisholm surprised everyone when she went to visit her segregationist opponent, George Wallace, in jail post-assassination attempt. Despite their stark differences, they became friends and he even helped her pass a minimum wage bill through the House. After retiring from politics, she went back to teaching and volunteering. She toured the country giving speeches preaching tolerance and warning of polarization until she retired.
She couldn’t join social clubs in college because of her race, so she made her own. “In Pursuit of the Highest In All” or IPOTHIA for short.
Her campaign slogan was “Unbought and unbossed”. Even her opponents recognized her refreshing consistency and moxie!
She had a battle cry, too. She’d campaign by driving through neighborhoods and shouting, “This is fighting Shirley Chisholm coming through.”
She was well-loved by Latinos. She appealed to the large and growing voter base by addressing them in Spanish; a unique advantage.
She was serious about diversity and representation. She hired all women for her office, half of which were black.
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