Life as a woman #2 – Explorers, creators, reformers: These are the stories of remarkable women who inspire change, courage and creativity. In this edition, discover how Shirley Chisholm’s unwavering confidence continues to inspire the pursuit of bold, unapologetic goals.
Fight endlessly
”I ran for the presidency, despite hopeless odds, to demonstrate the sheer will and refusal to accept the status quo.”
This is how the first Black female presidency candidate of the USA reflects on her unsuccessful election campaign. Reflecting on the activity in US America’s political landscape in the past months, it might seem counterintuitive to think about winning as anything else than first priority. Europeans that were observing the recent elections with frightened attentiveness were left with a lot of questions: ”How did this happen?”, and, more importantly: ”How do we proceed from here?”.
Looking at the political developments in most European countries, this should not have come as a surprise. The discourse is as polarised and unwavering as ever, with basic human rights being questioned, the far right gaining traction rapidly, and most citizens from all political backgrounds feeling like their voices are not being heard. Consequently, a lot of politically active people and especially young, first-time voters feel confronted with hopelessness. How is one supposed to stay motivated to fight for change when it feels like their country is dismissing them, moving backwards, and coming dangerously close to repeating mistakes of the past?
Let them see
Though Shirley Chisholm is no longer with us, a look at her story and convictions shows how she overcame very similar obstacles in her life. To be able to comprehend her unwavering will to fight, one has to take a look at her roots. Born in 1924 into a family of immigrant workers from Guyana and Barbados, Shirley always had a talent for debating and speaking up for herself. Although her professors encouraged her to start a political career when she graduated Brooklyn College in 1946, she hesitated to commit to this path as she was acutely aware of the ”double handicap” she faced, being both Black and female.
Following her passion for giving opportunities to young people, she decided to pursue a career in early childhood education where she quickly became successful as the director of New York City’s Hamilton-Madison Child Care Center. However, it was precisely the discrimination she faced that then motivated her to start her political career. In an Interview with the Center for American Women and Politics, she recalls a lecture she attended where her professor talked about the lack of African Americans in the political landscape:
”He said that black people are beginning to move out now, but they’ll never be able to make it unless there’s a white person with them, they can’t do it by themselves. And that stayed in my head, and was the kind of statement that propelled me to show him: Well, you’ll see.”
Do not shut up
Determined that she had to take matters into her own hands, she started joining local chapters of democratic associations, supporting both Women’s and Black people’s causes. Chisholm was never the person to stand by and do nothing; she recognised the inequalities even within her own political groups and did not give in to the pressure to adapt. On the contrary, she never ceased to be herself unapologetically until her colleagues could not help but take her opinion seriously, wheather they liked it or not. She was only one of three women in the New York State Legislature, where she quickly found her rightful spot:
”I developed into being the natural leader of these women. So the men hated my guts and said: ‘she won’t shut up! She’s always raising issues, asking the how, the when, the where, and the why!’. And from that time on, men have always looked at me as a threat.”
Her reaction to this was not to stop asking, and she did not try to be less assertive or flatter them. No, this was exactly the kind of provocation she needed to confirm that she was reaching her goal. She was questioning and rejecting the status quo, and its male beneficiaries were afraid of her impact.
Strive for change
This impact was visible just four years later in 1968, when she had the political talent and bravery to become the first African American woman in US Congress without the backing of the Democratic Party leaders. There she was able to expand minimum wage standards and to create pathways to higher education for New Yorks youth. Her rise to office was propelled by the campaign slogan: “Fighting Shirley Chisholm—Unbought and Unbossed.” She made it clear that her rise to higher positions never stemmed from greed for power and fame, but always from her hope for a country that seemingly had no place for her.
In light of this way of thinking, her decision to run for president in the elections of 1972 should not come as a surprise. But even though she realistically recognised her low chances from the beginning, she did not expect the amount of discrimination she was about to face. Being blocked from televised primary debates and facing hostility by her own party that was not willing to properly finance her campaign, the 2.7 % she got in nationwide votes was not the important variable for her and her team. Her main objective was successful: She got American citizens acquainted to the idea of having a Black female president. This fact alone changed history or, in her own words:
“I am not the candidate of Black America, although I am Black and proud. I am not the candidate of the women’s movement of this country, although I am a woman and equally proud of that. I am the candidate of the people and my presence before you symbolises a new era in American political history.”
Dare to be yourself
When looking back on her achievements, Shirley talks about the fights she had to repeat over and over in her career with a laughing face. Even when she mentioned the frequent setbacks, the dozens of laws she could not change, and the people she could not convince, her eyes were still glittering with defiant pride. In the end she knows that she has always had the upper hand on these people, because she did not fight for herself. She fought for the idea of a democratic, egalitarian society that nowadays feels as unobtainable as ever. And even today we should take to heart the words that will echo long after her passing:
“I want history to remember me as a black woman who lived in the 20th century and who dared to be herself. I want to be remembered as a catalyst for change.”
