"First black woman congressman"
In 1969, Shirley Chisholm became the first African American woman to serve in Congress, or, as she preferred, the "first black woman congressman." She was a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus in 1971 and the Congressional Women's Caucus in 1977. Chisholm was also the first woman and the first African American to seek the Democratic Presidential nomination in 1972.
During her seven Congressional terms, “Fighting Shirley” was an outspoken champion for economic justice and racial and gender equality. Fully aware of her place in history as a barrier-breaker, Chisholm hoped instead "to be remembered as a woman . . . who dared to be a catalyst of change." Shirley Chisholm died on January 1, 2005, at age 80.
As a Representative for Brooklyn, New York, she vigorously appealed her appointment to the Committee on Agriculture and persisted until she was reassigned to the Veterans Affairs Committee. She accepted the change, remarking “there are a lot more veterans in my district than trees.”
Shirley Chisholm’s Oath of Office
National Archives, Records of the U.S. House of Representatives
Photograph of the Rules Committee, 95th Congress, ca. 1977
National Archives, Records of the U.S. House of Representatives
