African American Hero of the Day

Shirley Chisholm (1924-2005)

Educator, U.S. Congresswoman

Chisholm was born on November 30, 1924, in New York City. She graduated cum laude from Brooklyn College in 1946 with a B.A. in sociology and with an M.A. in elementary education from Columbia University in 1952. She had an early career in child care and preschool education culminating in her directorship of the Hamilton-Madison Child Care Center in New York. Leaving that position in 1959, she served until 1964 as a consultant to the Day Care Division of New York City's Bureau of Child Welfare.

In 1964 she was elected New York State Assemblywoman representing the 55th district in New York City. In 1968 she became the first African American woman elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. Chisholm represented the twelfth district after defeating James Farmer. She served on several House committees but the most powerful was the Education and Labor Committee. In 1969 Chisholm was among the founding members of the Congressional Black Caucus. In 1972 Chisholm ran for the Democratic presidential nomination garnering 152 first ballots. Throughout her political career Chisholm was a staunch Democrat in her elected positions, as a delegate to the Democratic National Mid-Term Conference in 1974, and as a Democratic National Committeewoman.

Chisholm retired from politics in 1982. In 1984 she co-founded the National Political Congress of Black Women and was named as the Purington Chair at Mount Holyoke College teaching political science. A year later she became a visiting scholar at Spelman College. Chisholm wrote two books, Unbossed & Unbought (1970) and The Good Fight (1973). In 1993 Chisholm was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame and was nominated by President Bill Clinton as the ambassador to Jamaica, but she declined due to poor health. She received numerous awards for her national service and community activism. Chisholm died on January 1, 2005, in Florida.

From African American Almanac: 400 Years of Triumph, Courage and Excellence by Lean'tin Bracks, (c) 2012 Visible Ink Press(R). A wealth of milestones, inspiration, and challenges met . . .