November 30 was
Shirley Chisholm Day in New York, and it’s
about time New York, the nation, and indeed
the world, celebrate this Black woman, the
first to be elected to Congress in 1969, just
five years after the passage of the Civil
Rights Act. Shirley Chisholm was the first
Black woman to run, in 1972, for President.
Imagine the racism and sexism she encountered.
But it didn’t stop her! She competed in just
twelve primaries, as the good old boys worked
to prevent her ballot access. Yet she amassed
152 delegates, around ten percent of the
total.
As a member of
Congress, Shirley Chisholm authored about
fifty pieces of legislation, mostly around
race and gender equality, children, poverty,
and ending the war in Vietnam. Her boldness
was an inspiration for women like former New
Jersey Secretary of State Regena Thomas and
retiring Congresswoman Barbara Lee, who cast
the lone vote against our war in Afghanistan.
If there had been no Shirley Chisholm, there
would not have been a Vice President Kamala
Harris, whose own Presidential campaign
reminded us of Chisholm.
Shirley Chisholm
was not only a legislator, representing
Brooklyn, she was also an educator and
activist. She earned a master’s degree in
early childhood education from Columbia
University, and that educational background
gave her a heart for our children. Committed
to women’s equal participation in politics she
was, in 1971, a co-founder of the National
Women’s Political Caucus. In 1977, she became
the first Black woman, and only the second
woman, to serve on the House Rules committee.
Her contributions
were numerous, her impact legendary. She was
awarded a posthumous Medal of Freedom by
President Obama in 2015. She is an icon for
many, especially for Black women, but for too
many, she is either unknown or forgotten. The
sister who described herself as “unbought and
unbossed” deserves a lot more recognition than
the November 30 festivities, and the day
reminds us of the many unsung heroines in our
society. It is unfortunate that even in these
days of “Black girl magic” we deify men and
often ignore Black women.
I don’t know why
New York chose to lift Shirley Chisholm up
this past November 30. Perhaps it is because
she embodied the kind of audacity we need in
these times. When asked how she wanted to be
remembered, she said, “I want to be remembered
as a woman who dared to be a catalyst.” Dared.
Catalyst. Audacious words for an audacious
woman. And there are so many more than we need
to remember, such as Dr. La Frances
Rogers-Rose, a scholar who made her transition
on November 10. The pioneering leader founded
the International Congress of Black Women, was
a champion for Black women scholars, and a
selfless encourager of others. Like Chisholm,
she had audacity.
We don’t have to go
to the past, or even to the ancestors to find
Chisholm-like women, because they are all
around us. Consider, for example, LaTosha
Brown, founder of Black Voters Matter. Or
Barbara Arnwine, founder of the Transformative
Justice Coalition, or Melanie Campbell
convener of the Black Women’s Roundtable. So
many sisters making a difference, a difference
needed now more than ever.
Exceptional
audacity is needed during these times. Too
many are choosing caution, apprehensive about
what the incoming President might do about our
rights, our health, and our environment. Too
many government workers, many who are Black
women, are tiptoeing because the Orange Man
has threatened to “streamline” the federal
workforce. We need more who, like Chisholm,
dare to speak up and speak out.
I’m so glad that
New York City chose to honor Shirley Anita
Chisholm with a day of her own. While she
certainly deserves the day to herself, I’ll
think of it as Black Women’s Audacity Day in
honor of all of those who, like Chisholm, are
catalysts for change.
