“When I die I don’t want to be remembered as the first black woman elected to congress or the first black woman to run for the President of the United States, but I want to be remembered as the first woman. I want to go down as the first woman to go down in history with other influential and powerful women” – Shirley Chilsom. Shirley Chilson was known for her 1972 campaign slogan “Unbought and Unbossed”. She let it be known that she was not going to be controlled by corporations in order to sway legislation in favor of them or bossed around. She was a trailblazer and glass ceiling breaker in politics first by being a woman and a black woman at that. However, she did not let anything stop her.
Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York Shirley Chilsom was the oldest of four daughters. She graduated from Brooklyn College in Cum Laude in 1942 where she took an interest in debate and won prizes on the debate team. Many professors also encouraged her to consider a political career. Chilsom replied that she would face a double handicap being both black, and a female (Women History Org, 2021). Chilsom worked as a nursery school teacher and also earned her Master’s Degree in early childhood education from Columbia University. Before she started her political career she took an interest in knowing what was taking place in her community through multiple organizations such as The League Woman of Voters, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the Urban League, and the Democratic Party Club in Bed Stuy, Brooklyn (Women History Org, 2021). Starting off her political career Chilson ran for the New York State legislature and became the second African American in the legislature. She also sought a seat in congress and became the first black woman to be in congress. She was known as “Fighting Shirley” because of her fight for poor people, women, and minorities. The legislation she introduced was around ending the Vietnam War and bills that would support her constituents in Brooklyn, New York. She did not go to Washington to waste any time and at one point walked on the house floor and demanded she be appointed to another committee that was centered around what her constituents needed in New York. Her becoming the first black woman to congress was not where it ended. She also put in her run for the 1972 Presidency of the United States. The first black woman to ever do so in history. However, she continued to face discrimination. Many people minimized her to just being a black woman running for president, her not being “ready” to run for president, and many overall not taking her seriously just, because she was a woman. Not only were remarks made but many t.v. stations refused to allow her to speak at primary debates. Chilsom appealed to the Supreme Court and after winning was able to participate in live television debates and make just one speech. However, it was not just white men who felt as if she was not ready to sit on the highest seat of the land but many black men, a part of the Congressional Black Caucus, were skeptical about Chilsom simply because she was a woman. This followed her all the way up to the Demoratic National Convention where she secured 152 delegates however, she did not win. At the end of the race Chilsom highlighted how thankful she was for everyone who supported her thus far and it was not over. She would still push for the issues at hand. Chilsom eventually retired from congress and let it be known she wants to go down in history as the woman who was a “catalyst for change”.
Watching Chilsom documentary titled “Unbought and Unbossed” was so educational and informative to me. She brought me so much realization about the sexism women face in the world today. I knew it was an issue because many people said it was but watching it in the documentary was very eye opening. The fact that men simply don’t want women in power, because they believe we can’t be taken seriously, or we are too emotional is just a crazy argument. Chilsom was spot on with a lot of the issues however, people overlooked her simply,because she was a woman and that is crazy. I believe that it does not matter if you are a man, or a woman if you are qualified, have a great stance on issues, and you are able to lead a nation your gender should not matter at all. Chilsom really spread a lot of light on what it’s like to be not only a black woman but a woman overall. At first I did not understand why she said she did not just want to be remembered as the “first” black woman but a woman overall. When I heard that it actually offended me, because I thought why wouldn’t you want to be remembered as a black woman but through hearing other people I know opinion on it, going over that quote again, and watching her documentary I finally got it. What Chilsom means is that she’s not denying her blackness, but she also understands her blackness is not the only thing that makes up who she is, but her womanhood does as well. Also, her being the “first” black woman can also overshadow everything else she’s accomplished because many people look at that historical moment and disregard everything else she’s done in her life. Furthermore, people being inspired did not just come from the black community. When you look at the people on her campaign and the women who pledged their support behind her it was many different women of different races, gender, and ethnicity who supported her. She was able to bring a coalition of people together simply, because she was inclusive and stood up for the people.
Mrs. Chilsom is inspiring me on my journey of becoming because she put so much emphasis on the importance of womanhood. Yes, my race is important to me, but my womanhood is as well. I should not also be stripped of that or made to feel less than, because I am a woman. She educated me on more important matters that I should care about and not dismiss which is sexism. Just because you’re a man does not mean you can do your job better than me, and I can do worse than you. One thing that stuck to me while watching her documentary is while campaigning for president she was almost stabbed with a knife by a man simply, because she was a woman running for presidency. This taught me a lot of times we don’t see the strength and courage it takes to be the “First Black”. Also, she taught me to go for it. I had never heard of Chilsom’s story, but she put herself out there to run for President of the United States during an era where race, and gender were still an issue to many. However, she didn’t care. She did not let fear stop her. She also was the first black woman to be elected to congress. Many may talk about her, but she did not let fear stop her. She tried! She went for it and that is inspiring and a woman that is writing “HERSTORY” and helping me on my journey of BECOMING.