Warhawk Almanac: Shirley Chisholm

Shirley Chisholm was a well-known American politician who made history by being the first African American woman to be a member of the United States Congress, as well as being the first African American and first woman to seek the nomination for President of the United States from the Democratic party. Shirley Chisholm was born in 1924 and died in 2005, creating a legacy that impacted a significant amount of people. In addition to being a politician who focused on women’s equality and the equality of African Americans, Shirley wrote an autobiography titled Unbought and Unbossed which specifically focused on her advocacy for both women and African Americans during the seven terms she was in the U.S. House of Representatives.[1] She was an active participant in the House of Representatives from 1969 to 1983, and she won the Presidential Medal of Freedom posthumously in 2015.[2]

Representative Chisholm visited the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater campus in November 1972 where she commented on several different topics relevant to most people. She noted that “One tenth of one percent of the two million corporations in the U.S. control 55 percent of the country’s total assets… The economic system favors only a small segment of society.”[1] Another observation that she voiced was that “Racism is the root of the cancer of this country… we must give less importance to materialistic values and more to humanistic and spiritual values, to civil liberties and human rights, to plain caring. We must forget traditions and conventions and look to God and our conscience for approval.”[2] During her speech at UWW, Shirley commented on a multitude of topics relevant to that time and are still relevant today, i.e., economic difficulties, war, transportation, racism, and the human condition. She commented that “If you accept the truth, then the truth will set us all free. So, let’s not get uptight. Let’s relax and see what we can learn together.”[3] She also told the audience, “Students, unending change is the essence of life. If we have the courage of our convictions, we will forget traditions, we will forget conventionalism, we will forget what the world would say whether we’re in our place or out of place.”[4] To finish off her discussion with the students, she said, “We will think our best thoughts, we will only do our best deeds, looking only to God, whoever your God happens to be, and your conscience for approval.”[5]

 Shirley Chisholm will be remembered and honored as a trailblazer in politics, a woman who fought discrimination as both a female and as an African American, a person who was committed to upholding her integrity in an environment where it can be easily overlooked by individuals prioritizing their own interests. When looking to have various role models outside of family, friends, or others, keep Shirley Chisholm in mind as someone whose character is something to aspire to.