GospelCity Black History Month Salute to Political Figures

By Robin Caldwell

The woman was first and the others would follow, whether in actively running for president of the United States of America or pushing the envelope as in the case of Colin Powell. Shirley Chisholm, Jesse Jackson, Colin Powell and Barack Obama are trailblazers who have earned places in the annals of American history as African Americans who have forged political careers based on their being “firsts” in many instances and courageous to follow their convictions.

Shirley Chisholm

“In spite of hopeless odds . . . to demonstrate the sheer will and refusal to accept the status quo…”

Shirley Chisholm exhibited the fire and passion of her Caribbean ancestry as she fought a good fight against the social and racial injustices in her homeland, the U.S.A. The hallmark of Chisholm’s service was her adamancy to remain ethical and in her own words, “unbought and unbossed.”

Chisholm was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY and received a degree in education from Columbia University’s Teacher College. She worked as a teacher and educational consultant until 1964 when she ran for and won a seat on the New York State Legislature. In 1968, Chisholm became the first African American woman elected to the U. S. Congress and served in that capacity for seven terms until 1983.

In 1972, the tenacious public servant threw her hat into the ring and ran as the first African American to run for the highest office in the land, U. S. president, representing the Democratic Party. She won 162 delegates and even caused a stir because she dared to visit political and ideological rival George Wallace in the hospital after his paralyzing shooting.

Throughout her congressional career, Chisholm worked to insure the rights of inner-city residents and even pushed for the passing of legislation that would give domestic workers the right to receive minimum wage. She was a vocal opponent of the draft and worked to reduce military spending. Moreover, Chisholm fought to make education accessible to all citizens.