How Did “Fighting Shirley” Chisholm Earn Her Nickname?
Shirley Chisholm was the first African American woman to be elected to the U.S. Congress.
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Transcript
Shirley Chisholm was an American politician and the first Black woman to be elected to the United States Congress.
Born Shirley St. Hill on November 30, 1924, she was raised by immigrant parents in Brooklyn, New York, and in Barbados.
She graduated from Brooklyn College in 1946 and married Conrad Chisholm three years later. She worked as a nursery school director and teacher while studying elementary education at Columbia University, and she received her master’s degree in 1951.
During this time, Chisholm was active in numerous community and political groups, including the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the League of Women Voters.
Her dedication to community involvement led her to successfully run for the New York state legislature in 1964, representing her Brooklyn district for four years.
In 1968 Chisholm won her district’s seat in the United States House of Representatives, becoming the first African American woman to be elected to Congress.
Nicknamed “Fighting Shirley,” she took an active role in the federal government, introducing more than 50 pieces of legislation and working to ensure racial and gender equality.
In 1972 Chisholm became the first African American and first woman in one of the two major parties to run for president of the United States, winning 152 delegates during the Democratic primary despite facing discrimination against her campaign.
After retiring from Congress in 1983, she lectured at schools including Mount Holyoke College and Spelman College.
Shirley Chisholm died on January 1, 2005. She was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2015 to honor her life’s achievements.