Showing posts with label shirley chisholm. Show all posts
Showing posts with label shirley chisholm. Show all posts

Saturday, November 29, 2008

The First Black Congresswoman,Shirley Chisholm, Was Born On November 30!


On Nov. 30, 1924,the first black congresswoman was born in Brooklyn,NY. Shirley Chisholm's parents descended from both Cuba & Barbados. She was given one of the finest educations at a British-like school when she went to live with her grandmother in Barbados at the age of three. Her educational background enabled her to speak & write with ease,she has said. That might have also helped her to become the first African-American candidate for President of the United States. Go ahead, girl! Here's more on this significant woman from Wikipedia:

"In 1972, she made a bid for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination. The nomination was won by George McGovern in a hotly contested set of primary elections, with Chisholm campaigning in 12 states and winning 28 delegates during the primary process.[8] At the 1972 Democratic National Convention, as a symbolic gesture, McGovern opponent Hubert H. Humphrey released his black delegates to Chisholm[9], giving her a total of 152 first-ballot votes for the nomination.[2] Chisholm's base of support was ethnically diverse and included the National Organization for Women. Chisholm said she ran for the office "in spite of hopeless odds, . . . to demonstrate the sheer will and refusal to accept the status quo." Among the volunteers who were inspired by her campaign was Barbara Lee, who continued to be politically active and was elected as a congresswoman 25 years later.

Chisholm created controversy when she visited rival and ideological opposite George Wallace in the hospital soon after his shooting in May 1972, during the 1972 presidential primary campaign. Several years later, when Chisholm worked on a bill to give domestic workers the right to a minimum wage, Wallace helped gain votes of enough southern congressmen to push the legislation through the House.[citation needed]

Throughout her tenure in Congress, Chisholm worked to improve opportunities for inner-city residents. She was a vocal opponent of the draft and supported spending increases for education, healthcare and other social services, and reductions in military spending.

Chisholm retired to Florida and died on January 1, 2005. She is buried in Forest Lawn Cemetery in Buffalo."(END OF EXCERPT) Go here for the full entry:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shirley_Chisholm