Who is Shirley Chisholm? At DNC, trailblazing figure remembered

As Vice President Kamala Harris prepares to become the first woman of color to accept the Democratic presidential nomination this week, another trailblazing woman politician, Shirley Chisholm, is attracting a spotlight for a career that, in many ways, helped pave the way for Harris.

Chisholm repeatedly made history throughout her career, spanning the late-60s through to the early 80s. Nicknamed “Fighting Shirley,” Chisholm became the first Black woman elected to Congress in 1968, the first Black major-party candidate in the 1972 presidential race, and the first woman to run for the Democratic presidential nomination.

Derrick Johnson, President of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation, and Melanie Campbell, CEO of the NAACP, spoke of the history-making Black political figures who preceded Harris’ own historic nomination at the Democratic National Convention Monday.

“For Black women, this moment has been a long time coming,” Campbell said Monday night. “Vice President Kamala Harris’ path to becoming the Democratic nominee for President of the United States has been paved by the leadership, sacrifice, faith, and participation of Black women like Diane Nash, Ella Baker, Amelia Boynton Robinson, Barbara Jordan, Shirley Chisholm.”

More: DNC Day 3 live updates: Speaker schedule, Walz to accept formal nomination

The NAACP leaders’ remarks were followed by a short film , “Civil Rights, Drumline of Democracy,” honoring Rev. Jesse Jackson and other figures who led the height of the civil rights movement in the 60s, ending with a clip from Chisholm’s historic 1972 speech announcing her candidacy for the Democratic nomination. Jackson ran for the Democratic nomination more than a decade later, first in 1984 and again in 1988.

Born to immigrant parents from Guyana and Barbados in Brooklyn, New York, Chisholm would go on to represent the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood where she grew up in both state and federal legislatures. After graduating from Brooklyn College, Chisholm worked as a teacher while earning a master’s degree from Columbia University.

In 1964, she became the second Black representative in the New York State Legislature, and in 1968 won a seat in Congress.

Though her 1972 run for the White House is now seen as one of the most critical steps in the advancement of civil rights and Black political power, Chisholm faced significant discrimination. She was prevented from participating in televised primary debates, according to the National Women’s History Museum, and was only permitted to give one speech after taking legal action against the obstructions to her campaign. Over the course of the “Chisholm (campaign) trail,” she entered 12 primaries and won 152 delegate votes.

This year’s presidential election also coincides with what would have been Chisholm’s 100th birthday, commemorated by an exhibit at the Museum of the City of New York. Called “Changing the Face of Democracy: Shirley Chisholm at 100,” the exhibit showcases the native Brooklynite’s life and political legacy until her death in 2005 at 80. It opened in July and is on view through July 2025.

Earlier this year Netflix released a bio-pic, “Shirley,” charting Chisholm’s campaign for Congress and her later presidential bid, starring Academy Award-winning actress Regina King.

Monday night speeches also paid tribute to other Black politicians and lawmakers, including Mississippi civil rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer, who gave a scathing press conference 60 years ago this week after then-President Lyndon Johnson and DNC officials refused to allow Mississippi integrated delegation seats at the convention.

How to watch the Democratic convention

The convention will air live on its website from the United Center in Chicago between 6:15 p.m. and 11 p.m. Eastern (5:15 p.m. to 10 p.m. Central) on Monday and 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. Eastern (6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Central) the other days.

The USA TODAY Network and news outlets will livestream the convention, and most will broadcast the major speeches live.

Kathryn Palmer is an elections fellow for USA TODAY. Reach her at kapalmer@gannett.com and follow her on X @KathrynPlmr.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Who is Shirley Chisholm? At DNC, trailblazing figure remembered