Shirley Chisholm for President, ‘72
Unbought and Unbossed
It was radical. A woman was running for president. A Black Woman. It was 1972. No one invited Shirley Chisholm to run. She didn’t ask permission of anyone in the Democratic party or the Congressional Black Caucus. She knew, “(i)f they don’t give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair.” That’s was exactly what she did.
If you were a little girl at the time, like I was, it was more awesome to see than the moon landings. She shifted the notion of what was possible for women. Congresswoman Chisholm changed my idea of what was possible for me and for the world.
I had just turned eight years old when Chisholm launched her run. I saw her on television and became enthralled with her. I told my mother I wanted to be Shirley Chisholm when I grew up. My mother was thrilled her daughter was a feminist. She gave me a Shirley Chisholm for President button.
When I think back on what she meant to me, I get choked up. I cry. Almost every time. For me, she was pure courage. A speaker of the truth. I heard her, and I was moved.
