Shirley Chisholm: Announcement of Candidacy for the Democratic Nomination for President (1972)
Shirley Chisholm was elected to Congress in 1969, as a representative from New York. She championed the underdog against the privileged, was a critic of the establishment, and became an eloquent spokeswoman for reform. Her public career was fueled by anger at the dismissive treatment she received at the hands of political leaders. Despite her strong record as an organizer and advocate, male colleagues seldom took her seriously. Chisholm often claimed that she met with more discrimination being a woman than she did being black. At a time when the women’s movement was beginning to gain national recognition, Chisholm emerged as one of its most prominent leaders. In January 1972, Chisholm made her Announcement of Candidacy for the Democratic Nomination for President, becoming the first major-party black candidate for president of the United States and the first woman to run for the Democratic presidential nomination. Her political career, especially her presidential...
