Changing the Face of Democracy: Shirley Chisholm at 100
Text and photograph by Monika Hankova
“Unless we start to fight and defeat the enemies of poverty and racism in our own country and make our talk of equality and opportunity ring true, we are exposed as hypocrites in the eyes of the world when we talk about making other people free.” (Shirley Chisholm, 1969)
The Museum of the City of New York presents a commemorative and timely show on the life and legacy of Shirley Chisholm, a woman who changed the nation’s political landscape as the first Black woman elected to Congress and the first Black woman to run for the president of the US.
Shirley Chisholm (1924–2005) was born in Brooklyn to immigrant parents from Barbados, where she herself spent some time as a child living with her grandmother. Her two cultural identities shaped her views and later, her political engagement: she fought for education, opportunity, and change in general. In the 1920s, during her childhood, the Harlem renaissance had a big impact in New York City. Chisholm’s father was involved with Jamaican political activist Marcus Garvey, who along with other Caribbean radicals played a central role in Black politics.
In the early 1960s, Brooklyn became a centre for civil rights organising, and this had significant and lasting impact on Chisholm’s activities. She led the Brooklyn branch of the organisation Key Woman, participating in their social welfare campaigns and working closely with non-profit advocacy groups to support legislation relating to abortion access, food assistance, childcare, education, equal rights for people of color, women, and poor people. At the very beginning of her political career, Chisholm adopted a political slogan “unbought and unbossed”, challenging and criticizing her own Democratic party, namely sexism and racism still deeply rooted in Congress. She said: ”In the end, anti-Black, anti-female, and all forms of discrimination are equivalent to the same thing – anti-humanism.” She believed that elections are crucial to political change.
In 1965, Chisholm was elected as the first Black woman to represent Brooklyn in the New York State Assembly, and launched her congressional career three years later, reimagining herself for Washington, and creating a certain image of Black women’s leadership. The show presents some of her graphic and colorful dresses that became her signature style, complementing her personal charisma, self presentation, and vision.
In 1972, she became first woman and first African American to make a bid for presidency. “The Fighting Chisholm”, as she was dubbed by political writers, reimagined a version of American democracy that included everyone: people of color, women, LGBTQIA+ folks, and other marginalized groups. In the speech announcing her candidacy at a News Conference in a Baptist church in Brooklyn on January 25, 1972 she evoked words of A. Lincoln: “A House divided can not stand.” She knew that she had a little chance to win the presidency, but she also knew that someone had to do it first, and that change was possible. In an interview with her for the documentary “CHISHOLM ‘72: Unbought and Unbossed” by Shola Lynch (2004) the politician said: “I want to be remembered as a woman who lived in the 20th century and who dared to be a catalyst for change.”
The biggest achievement of her career was the expansion and raise of the minimum wage nationally (1974). Shirley Chisholm, who remained in Congress after her campaign for president and served on the Educational and Labor Committee as well as Rules Committee, left the politics in 1983 to pursue work as an educator: she focused on expanding opportunities for Black women, teaching at women’s colleges.
Two decades since her dead, Chisholm’s influence is still alive; she paved the way for generations of elected officials to follow, including Kamala Harris, and her recognisable image and persona appear in different contexts today, mostly in educational initiatives. Co-Curators of the exhibition stress: “From Brooklyn and Barbados to Washington and beyond, Chisholm’s transformative impact and her faith in the democratic process remain a beacon today.” Indeed, the significance of her life and political legacy resonates these days more than ever.
Changing the Face of Democracy: Shirley Chisholm at 100 on view at The Museum of the City of New York through July 20, 2025.