S.C. First Black Women in the U.S. Government Do you know who Shirley Chisholm is? Shirley Chisholm was the first black woman to be in the United States Congress. Shirley Chisholm was a member of the Congressional Black Caucus. Shirley Chisholm had many great things happen in her life. Shirley Chisholm made a significant change in the U.S. government and should be celebrated during Black History Month. Shirley Chisholm was born in Brooklyn, New York on November 30 1924. Out of the 4 sisters Chisholm was the oldest. The parents of Chisholm were Charles St. Hill and Ruby Seal St. Hill. She went to Brooklyn Girls High and went to Columbia University. “Although professors encouraged her to consider a political career, she replied that she faced …show more content…
“ You don’t make progress by standing on the sidelines, whimpering and complaining. You make progress by implementing ideas” (Chisholm). Being black wasn’t her only handicap; being a woman made it just as hard to do things. “Of my two handicaps, being female puts more obstacles in my path than being black” (Chisholm). Eventhough Chisholm was black and was a female she was still able to do things she loved. Even Though Shirley Chisholm was a black woman she was still a part of the U.S. Congress. Sadly she is still not alive today, she died on January 1, 2005. Chisholm was a great person who did many great things. Shirley being the first black woman in Congress was one of the biggest things that happened in her life. She once said that being a woman was a bigger handicap than being black. Shirley Chisholm should be celebrated during black history month because of all of the amazing things she did for the U.S. The most important thing that I have learned from Shirley Chisholm is that no matter what your gender or race is you can still do amazing things. What surprised me the most about her is that she was in the U.S. government as a black woman. The legacy Chisholm has left for the world is that she was the first black woman in Congress. After studying this person my thinking has changed about black people. I thought that all black people were separated from the white