Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso hosted “The Chisholm Effect,” an event at the Brooklyn Children’s Museum that brought civil leaders together to honor the life and legacy of Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm.
“Shirley Chisholm grew up just steps away from Brooklyn Children’s Museum, in the very neighborhood she would later champion in Congress,” said Atiba T. Edwards, president and CEO of Brooklyn Children’s Museum. “As the first Black woman elected to Congress and a presidential candidate, Chisholm was a force for change and stood for justice even when it wasn’t popular.”
The March 5 event featured a panel of Chisholm’s colleagues, moderated by Deputy Borough President Reverend Kim Council, in partnership with the Brooklyn Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta. The auditorium filled with praise for Chisholm’s pioneering political career, which bolstered the fight for civil rights.
“She was 5’3, 103 pounds, but she was big, bad, and bossy as ever, and did some amazing things, ” said Council. “There’s some things that we could learn from: the way that she handled herself, the way that she moved, and how she was able to do the unthinkable. Kamala Harris stands on her shoulders. So many of us stand on her shoulders.”
Former Congress Member Ed Towns Jr. and former Assembly Member Annette Robinson shared personal stories of working alongside Chisholm, emphasizing their long history in local politics. Chisholm made history in 1968 as the first Black woman elected to Congress and became the first woman to run for president in one of the two major political parties in 1972.
Chisholm was born in Bed-Stuy in 1923 to working-class immigrant parents from Barbados and Guyana. She went on to graduate from Brooklyn Girls’ High in 1942 and from Brooklyn College cum laude in 1946. After earning a degree from Columbia University in 1951, she began her political career by joining local chapters of the Democratic Party, the League of Women Voters, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and the Urban League.
Never leaving Brooklyn far behind, Chisholm launched her presidential campaign out of her Crown Height home at 1028 St. Johns Place.
Her political work brought her to the national stage, where she campaigned for civil liberties amid discrimination and sexism.
“Shirley Chisholm led by example,” said Robinson. “She showed me as a young Black woman that I could be a parent leader in Headstart, become a member of the community school board, a member of the state committee, and City Council Member and New York State Assembly Member.”
Both Robinson and Towns Jr. spoke to the audience about the importance of local political organizing and its potential for expansive change.
Chisholm would have celebrated her 100th birthday last November. Her legacy, locally and nationally, persists to this day.
“Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm was the definition of a trailblazer whose story exemplifies our borough, and our country, at its best,” said Borough President Reynoso. “Her legacy is an inspiration for current and future generations of public servants, and we have a responsibility to ensure her memory is strong and alive in Brooklyn.”
