There have been numerous women throughout U.S. history who have made an impact and broken down barriers during their lifetime, Shirley Chisholm was one such woman.
Born in 1924, to immigrant parents, Chisolm was raised in Brooklyn, New York. She graduated cum laude from Brooklyn College and went on to earn her master’s degree in childhood education at Columbia University.
She later became the second African American in the New York State Legislature. She also became the first African American to be elected to Congress, and also helped form the Black Caucus.
To add to her list of firsts, Chisholm was also the first African American woman to make a bid to run for President of the United States. She earned the nickname “Fighting Shirley” and championed racial and gender equality, fighting for the poor, and ending the Vietnam War. Chisholm passed away in 2005 leaving behind a legacy that many women can look up to.
Source: history.com
Reporting for WGRT – Choze Powell
