Shirley Chisholm: Speech in Favor of the Equal Rights Amendment

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. Her political career, especially her presidential candidacy, was an effort to convince the country that women deserved an equal voice in government. One of her first actions in Congress was to deliver her Speech in Favor of the Equal Rights Amendment, which she saw as a way to extend equal opportunities to the...