Shirley Chisholm in Her Own Words

September 15, 2024
A compendium of works by the first Black woman elected to the U.S. Congress. A former teacher, Chisholm represented Brooklyn's 12th congressional district for seven consecutive terms, from 1969 to 1983. This collection of her writings is divided thematically into eight sections, including education, criminal justice, racism and civil rights, and women's rights and leadership. The preface provides a sweeping introduction by Fraser, director of the Shirley Chisholm Project on Brooklyn Women's Activism at Brooklyn College. "Public oratory," Fraser convincingly writes, "is at the center of the Black freedom struggle, serving as one of its most valuable weapons." The first of Chisholm's writings here is a 1973 address she gave, titled "The Necessity for a New Thrust in Education Today," in which she said, "Our primary function as educators must be to break from tradition when that tradition does not serve the present or retards the future; to reorient our school systems...in terms of imparting to our students and children a sense of self-respect, a sense of hope, a sense of belonging, a sense of power." The importance of education for Black people serves as a consistent theme in Chisholm's speeches, as does women's activism. She was a rare voice who argued against spending money on weapons, writing, "I do not think I will ever understand what kind of values can be involved in spending $9 billion...on elaborate, unnecessary, and impractical weapons when several thousand disadvantaged children in the nation's capital get nothing." Chisholm's bracing collection could not be more timely, with Vice President Kamala Harris vying for the office that Chisholm hoped to win in 1972, when she ran as the first Black woman to campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination. Potent and relevant pieces by a groundbreaking Black politician.

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Starred review from November 2, 2024

Congresswoman Chisolm's words, edited and introduced by Fraser (Africana studies and women's and gender studies, Brooklyn Coll.; director of the Shirley Chisholm Project on Brooklyn Women's Activism) feel remarkably fresh and particularly relevant, even though they were written 50 years ago. Chisolm, the first Black woman in Congress and the first woman and Black person to seek the U.S. presidential nomination, was the child of immigrant parents. Born in Brooklyn, Chisolm spent her youth in Barbados, returned to Brooklyn and graduated from Brooklyn College, after which she worked as a nursery schoolteacher before pivoting into politics and becoming one of New York's representatives to Congress. The book covers areas of major concern to Chisolm, including education, criminal justice, colonialism, racism, women's rights, abortion, and student revolts. Contents include "The Day Care Dilemma," "Racism and Polarization," "Facing the Abortion Question," and "Progress Through Understanding." VERDICT This introduction to Chisolm's writings and speeches is enlightening, highly relevant, and well-crafted.--Amy Lewontin

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