WHEREAS, Shirley Chisholm was born to immigrants from Barbados and Guyana on November 30, 1924 in Brooklyn, New York and passed away on January 1, 2005, in Ormond Beach, Florida. She started her career as a nursery schoolteacher and earned her master’s in early childhood education from Columbia University; and
WHEREAS, In 1968, Chisholm became the first Black woman elected to Congress. Known as “Fighting Shirley” with a resonant “Unbought and Unbossed” campaign slogan, Chisholm pulled off an electoral upset first in her primary, in which she defeated a sitting State Senator, and then in the general, when she won against a more well-known, Republican-backed opponent by a 2-1 margin. Congresswoman Chisholm then spent 7 terms serving the New York 12th Congressional District, introducing more than 50 pieces of legislation including helping to create SNAP and fighting for legalization of abortion access and the reproductive healthcare continuum of care; and
WHEREAS, As a co-founder of the Congressional Black Caucus, the National Women’s Political Caucus, the National Political Congress of Black Women, and the National Organization for Women, Chisholm achieved national recognition and spotlight. She became the first woman and the first Black person to seek the Presidency in 1972 and survived three assassination attempts during her campaign. She declared herself the candidate of the people, and worked to usher in a new era of American politics; and
WHEREAS, Chisholm broke down barriers and created space for equity in an environment entirely hostile to progress. She was known for her remarkable wisdom and her ability to marry political philosophy to on-the-ground change, remarking that in her era of politics, the opportunity for change was emerging: “The door is not yet open, but it is ajar,” and it is on the rising generation of change-making leaders to realize the dream of equity that Shirley Chisholm worked her entire life to advance; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, THAT THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, Hereby recognizes, honors and celebrates Shirley Chisholm on her birthday, this November 30th.
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