Changemaker 19: Shirley Chisholm

Today's changemaker is Shirley Anita Chisholm. Born in Brooklyn in 1924, Chisholm was the first Black woman elected to the US Congress and the first Black major party candidate running for the White House. She was an educator, political figure, activist and author who worked in various fields to contribute to society. She began her career as an educator after graduating from Brooklyn College in 1946 and, later, received her MA in Elementary Education from Colombia University. 

Chisholm began her political career in 1953 by campaigning for William Lewis Glass Jr., Brooklyn's first Black judge. In 1964, she was elected to the New York State Assembly and served in the role until 1968 when she ran for the seat in New York's 12th Congressional District and became the first Black woman elected to the US House of Representatives. 

In 1970, she published her autobiography Unbought and Unbossed, and, in 1972, she became the first Black person who sought the presidential nomination from one of the two major parties. She published her second book, entitled The Good Fight, in 1973.

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Photo credit: Collection of the U.S. House of Representatives