Shirley Chisholm was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1924. She became the first Black woman elected
into the U.S. congress in 1968.
In an article written for the National Women’s History Museum website, Debra Michaels, Ph.D., said,
“Her motto and title of her autobiography, ‘Unbought and Unbossed,’ illustrates her outspoken advocacy
for women and minorities during her seven terms in the U.S. House of Representatives.”

In 1964, Chisholm ran for and became the second Black legislator in the New York State Legislature. After court-ordered redistricting created a heavily Democratic district in her neighborhood, Chisholm ran for and won a seat in Congress in 1968.
Chisholm was also the first Black woman to run for a presidential bid for one of the major parties in 1972.
She was blocked from participating in televised primary debates due to the ongoing discrimination she
faced during the 1972 Democratic primaries. Even after taking legal action, she was permitted to make
only one speech. She retired from Congress in 1983.