Bio of Shirley Chisholm, the First African-American Congresswoman

Shirley Anita St. Hill was born on November 30, 1924 in Brooklyn, New York. Shirley was the daughter of immigrants, Charles and Ruby St. Hill. When she was just three years old, young Shirley was sent to Barbados to live with her maternal grandmother. She attended a British school there and she received a solid education that would help her succeed in life.

By 1934, Shirley Hill was moved back to New York to live with her parents again. She continued her education and graduated from Girls High School in 1942. Shirley then continued her education by majoring in sociology at the Brooklyn College.

It was at the Brooklyn College that Shirley Hill had a memorable encounter with racial discrimination. When she and other African-American students were banned from joining a social club, Shirley simply started her own.

In 1946, after she graduated from that college with honors, Shirley found another roadblock set in place because of her race. She found it was nearly impossible for African-Americans who were college graduates to find employment that matched their education. She finally found a position as director of the Friends Day Nursery in Brooklyn. She also enrolled at Columbia University where she studied elementary education and earned her Master’s degree in 1952.

(In the meantime, Shirley had married her sweetheart, Conrad Q. Chisholm in 1949. They were later divorced in 1977.)

Being an educational consultant for New York City’s daycare department kept Shirley busy. She still found time, however, to work with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Her interest in politics also led her to start the Unity Democratic Club in 1960. This club helped to recruit black and Hispanic voters. Shirley Chisholm served as a representative in the New York legislature for the Brooklyn district from 1964 to 1968.

From there, Shirley Chisholm’s political career expanded when she was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1968. She made history as the first African-American woman who was ever elected to Congress. She started out her career by hiring an all-female staff. She also fought for civil, as well as, for women’s rights. Shirley Chisholm was a defender of the poor and she spoke out against the Vietnam War.

Four years later, Shirley Chisholm was a candidate for the Democratic nomination for the office of United States president. She earned one hundred and fifty-two delegates, but she ended up withdrawing from the presidential race.

Instead of trying to become the first African-American- not to mention, female- president, Shirley Chisholm concentrated on other political aspirations. She is known for founding the National Women’s Political Caucus, supporting the Equal Rights Amendment, and legalizing abortions.

Shirley Chisholm finally retired from Congress in 1983. She then traveled and lectured and was a Purington Professor at Mount Holyoke College. She was also a visiting scholar at Spelman College.

Besides her career in Congress from 1969 to 1983, Shirley Chisholm became an author when she penned her autobiographical which was titled, “Unbought and Unbossed” in 1970. She also received many awards and honorary degrees. Brooklyn College named her “Alumna of the Year”, and she was also honored as being “Key Woman of the Year”.

Shirley Chisholm passed away on January 1, 2005. She was buried next to her husband at the Forest Lawn Cemetery in Buffalo, New York. (Her husband, Arthur Hardwick Junior, had passed away in 1986.)