Shirley Chisholm | Celebrating Historical Black Figures

In celebrating Black History Month, we at GoodTrust want to honor the sacrifices and stories of African Americans who fought for equality with their entire lives. Black History Month rightfully celebrates heroes like Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, and many others that changed history. In this article series, we would like to also bring attention to lesser-known African-Americans who had an immense impact on the equality movement and the future of the United States to ensure their legacy lives on.

Shirley Anita St. Hill Chisholm was the first African-American woman elected to the United States Congress and the first person we would like to introduce and honor in this series.

Born on November 30, 1924 in Brooklyn, New York Shirley was the first of four children in her family. Her father, Charles St. Hill was a factory worker that immigrated to the U.S. from Guyana in the early 1900s. Her mother, Ruby Seale St. Hill was a seamstress from Barbados. Shirley Chisholm graduated from Brooklyn College cum laude in 1946 and later earned her Master's Degree from Columbia University.

She started a career as a nursery school teacher and later became a consultant. She entered her political career by joining the League of Women Voters, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, and many more. In 1964, she ran for a position in the United States Legislature. As the second African American elected she fought for gender and racial equality.

In 1972 Chisholm aimed for the nomination of the presidential election for the Democratic party. Due to the majority of Congress being white and male, Chisholm had to face major discrimination and setbacks. She was prohibited from giving speeches and appearing on television in debates and had financial challenges that put her at a disadvantage.

Despite the obstacles she gained 10% of the delegates votes in Congress. She retired from Congress in 1983 and retired as a professor. She also co-founded the National Political Congress of Black Women. When asked about her legacy, Chisholm stated that “I want to be remembered as a woman who dared to be a catalyst of change.”

We would like to honor Shirley Chisholm with this article to remember her legacy and what she stood for. At GoodTrust, we ensure that everyone's legacy is preserved, no matter their race, income or gender.

Shirley's image was animated with GoodTrust Memories to shine light on her accomplishments and bring her memory alive. Animate your own photos here.

Happy Black History Month!