Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke Introduces Legislation to Place Shirley Chisholm Statue in US Capitol

WASHINGTON, DC – Caribbean American Democratic Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke, the first vice-chair of the United States Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), and Brooklyn, New York Republican Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis on Friday introduced bipartisan legislation in the US House of Representatives directing the Joint Committee on the Library to obtain a statue of late US Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm for placement in the US Capitol building in Washington.

Shirley Anita Chisholm“We need to show our children’s generation that the progress of today did not appear by accident. It took passion and dedication. It took people who were unbought and unbossed,” said Clarke, the daughter of Jamaican immigrants. 

“I’m proud to introduce this bipartisan legislation to honor the remarkable life, legacy and limitless contributions of Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm with a tribute befitting her place in history,” added the representative for the 9th Congressional District in Brooklyn. 

Malliotakis noted that Chisholm was “a Brooklyn trailblazer and first African American woman elected to Congress, who shattered glass ceilings and inspired generations of women to use their voices to create change in our political system.

“A statue of her in the US Capitol building would be a fitting way to honor her legacy and serve as a reminder for future leaders to be persistent and demand a seat at the table to benefit the communities they represent,” she said. 

Shirley Anita St. Hill Chisholm, the daughter of Barbadian and Guyanese immigrants, was the first African-American woman elected to Congress. 

She was a founding member of the CBC and the first African American to make a serious bid for the Presidency of the United States of America. 

The CBC Foundation said Chisholm was “known for her advocacy on behalf of women and underserved minorities.” 

She was also noted for her opposition to the US involvement in the Vietnam War, her support of full-employment programs, and her efforts on behalf of Black colleges, compulsory education, and minimum wage, the CBC Foundation said. 

It said Chisholm, who was born in New York City, on November 30, 1924, grew up in Barbados and in Brooklyn.

Chisholm graduated with a Bachelor’s degree from Brooklyn College in 1946, and, while working as a teacher, she earned a Master’s degree in elementary education from Columbia University’s Teacher’s College, CBC said. 

Until 1964, it said she served as a director of a childcare center and an education consultant.

In 1964, the foundation said Chisholm ran and was elected to the New York State Legislature, where she served for four years. 

Then, in 1968, she became the first African-American woman elected to Congress, representing New York’s then 12th District. 

Chisholm served the United States House of Representatives for seven terms, from 1968-1983 (91st-97th Congresses)  

She was also the first African-American woman elected to the US Congress and was “an effective advocate for the needs of minorities, women and children.”

The foundation said Chisholm served on the Education and Labor, Rules, and Veterans Affairs committees. 

During her 15 years in the House, it said Chisholm co-founded the National Political Congress of Black Women, supported the Equal Rights Amendment, and fought to legalize abortions. 

Chisholm was also a co-founder the National Organization for Women (NOW),  

In 1972, it said Chisholm was also the first African-American woman to run for President of the United States. 

When she retired in 1983, she was the third-highest ranking member of the Education and Labor Committee, the foundation said. 

After leaving Congress, it said Chisholm was named to the Purington Chair at Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts, where she taught politics and women’s studies, while remaining an advocate for education. 

In both 1984 and 1988, the foundation said Chisholm worked on the presidential campaigns of Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr. In 1987, she retired from teaching and moved to Florida. Chisholm died on January 1, 2005.

The CBC Foundation noted that, in February 2005, “Shirley Chisholm ’72: Unbought and Unbossed”, a documentary film chronicling Chisholm’s 1972 bid for the Democratic presidential nomination, was aired on US public television. 

Chisholm was also the author of two autobiographical works entitled “Unbought and Unbossed” (1970) and “The Good Fight” (1973) .