“All I can say is that I’m a shaker-upper. That’s exactly what I am.” —Shirley Chisholm
When Shirley Chisholm announced her candidacy for the democratic presidential nomination in 1972, she became the first Black candidate for a major party's nomination—just four years after she had become the first ever Black woman in Congress. In this collection of interviews stretching from her first major profile to her final interview, this icon of iron will and unshakeable political principle reveals how her disciplined and demanding childhood and the expectations placed on her by the public shaped her into a force of nature and the ultimate people’s politician—tirelessly advocating in the halls of government for the poorest and most disadvantaged of the nation.
"There are people in our country's history who don't look left or right—they just look straight ahead. Shirley Chisholm was one of those people . . . Shirley Chisholm had guts." —President Barack Obama
“I stand as so many of us do on [Shirley Chisholm’s] shoulders.” —Sen. Kamala Harris “Our Lady of Food Justice & SNAP, trailblazer extraordinaire . . . OG Queen of Brooklyn.” —Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
“All I can say is that I’m a shaker-upper. That’s exactly what I am.” —Shirley Chisholm
When Shirley Chisholm announced her candidacy for the democratic presidential nomination in 1972, she became the first Black candidate for a major party's nomination—just four years after she had become the first ever Black woman in Congress. In this collection of interviews stretching from her first major profile to her final interview, this icon of iron will and unshakeable political principle reveals how her disciplined and demanding childhood and the expectations placed on her by the public shaped her into a force of nature and the ultimate people’s politician—tirelessly advocating in the halls of government for the poorest and most disadvantaged of the nation.
Praise
"There are people in our country's history who don't look left or right—they just look straight ahead. Shirley Chisholm was one of those people . . . Shirley Chisholm had guts." —President Barack Obama
“I stand as so many of us do on [Shirley Chisholm’s] shoulders.” —Sen. Kamala Harris “Our Lady of Food Justice & SNAP, trailblazer extraordinaire . . . OG Queen of Brooklyn.” —Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
