Shirley Chisholm

“If they don’t give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair.” - Shirley Chisholm

DOB: November 20, 1924

Nationality: American

Can we ever break the glass ceiling?

Perhaps the most persuasive evidence that the glass ceiling can be broken is the story of Shirley Chisholm.

An African American woman born in the early 20th century, she was trapped at birth under a glass ceiling only a foot above the ground.

However, Chisholm’s perseverance and remarkable determination led to a life that exceeded the expectations of any around her. While Shirley Chisholm is most famous for being the first black woman elected to Congress in 1968, many more successes and events in her life establish her as an inspiring trailblazer.

Shirley Chisholm was the oldest daughter of Charles St. Hill, an immigrant worker from Guyana, and Ruby St. Hill, a seamstress from Barbados. Despite coming from one of the poorest communities in New York City and struggling through economic crisis after crisis, Shirley Chisholm’s parents recognized their oldest daughters’ remarkable spark. During the Great Depression, Shirley was sent to live with her grandmother and lifelong hero Emaline Chase in Barbados. Ms Chase worked as a cook for white people, often working long hours for little pay, but still carried herself with great pride, asserting her personhood even when her employers would treat her as a lesser being. Chisholm’s grandmother instilled in her the same self-confidence and fearlessness, a Barbadian trademark she would carry into the rest of her life.

Even as a student, Chisholm loved political science. She often engaged in discussions with her political science professor, creating a bond of mutual respect. He would be the first to encourage Chisholm to pursue a career in politics. Initially, the journey seemed an impossible one, so Chisholm brushed off her professor’s words. She went on to begin teaching childhood education after earning her undergraduate degree from Brooklyn College and her master's from Columbia University. Chisholm applied to position after position but was turned down repeatedly because of her small stature. She finally landed her first job at a small childhood education centre in Manhattan. Childhood education became her passion, and she was quickly recruited to higher positions until she moved into administration and consulting for the school district of New York City.

But behind the scenes of her career in childhood education, she was still active politically. She met her first political mentor, Wesley Holder, six years after graduating from college, and became active in his organization, Bedford-Stuveysant Political League. Initially, she was drawn into Holder’s organization by the campaign to elect a black man as a judge but continued to navigate the world of Brooklyn politics for years after. In 1960, Chisholm joined the Unity Democratic Club (UDC). At around the same time, the country was engulfed in generational and political divides, such as Black Power, urban riots, and the Ocean Hill Brownsville crisis. She built a multiracial coalition that would prove vital in stitching together support for her future political career. She developed an intimate relationship with Brooklyn voters through a tireless mix of grass-roots campaigning and organizational politics, propelling her start in electoral politics.

For years Chisholm wrestled with this double life of childhood education and a political leader until an opportunity came her way in 1964. A growing number of black voters in Brooklyn’s democratic party demanded more representation, ultimately forcing the hand of Stanley Steingut, the New York Democratic Party leader at the time, to appoint more blacks to the civil court. Steingut appointed Thomas Jones, head of the UDC and a state assembly member at the time, to the Judgeship. Jones’ empty seat was quickly filled by Chosholm, who won the election for his seat, despite having to run multiple times in 1965 and 1966 because of fluctuating district lines. Protest and pressure by the growing number of black voters in New York to revise Brooklyn’s congressional districts, as under the legislation, Bedford Stuyvesant’s black Americans were stripped of political power through “labyrinthine” gerrymandering, as protested by Andrew Cooper, an enraged activist out of many.

In 1967, the New York State legislature was directed by a federal statutory court to redefine the congressional districts in Brooklyn. A new congressional district, the 12th congressional district, would include all of Bedford-Stuyvesant and sections of Crown Heights, Williamsburg, and Greenpoint an astonishing change on the surface. Once the boundaries were adjusted over and over again, the “black district” was born– a congressional district containing a near-even ratio of black to white registered voters.

Chisholm cultivated a brilliant campaign in the Democratic primary. Her opponent, State Senator William C. Thompson, already had the backing of Steingut and the Democratic machine, which put her at a distinct disadvantage. Her campaign pins declaring “Unbought and Unbossed,” so clearly represented her as a person and candidate. Chisholm’s on-the-ground campaign consisting of door-knocking and street-corner events resonated with many, not just black women. As a candidate for change a reform, Chisholm appealed to anyone who felt overlooked by white men in power. Even when faced with impossible gendered and racial discrimination in her campaign, Chisholm pushed through, using ingenious arguments and appeals to her past activities in the Brooklyn communities to win the people over.

On election night, Chisholm won an overwhelming two-thirds of the total votes, crushing her opponents, and holding the iconic title of first black congresswoman. Chisholm earned her title with the people for her Brooklyn identity, hardworking character, and genius political sense.

Shirley Chisholm’s victory expanded the scope of possibilities for the thousands of people in her community and beyond. People oppressed by a glass ceiling, who had never even dared to reach up and touch the glass could now look up to see an open sky. Whether the glass ceiling was racism, sexism, or poverty, Chisholm unified her community with newfound hope and ambitions.

MTP75 Archives — Shirley Chisholm: ‘I’ve Broken The Ice’ Becoming The First Black Woman In Congress