A vibrant dialogue on Shirley Chisholm’s affect in civil rights and politics unfolds on the Brooklyn Youngsters’s Museum, moderated by Deputy Brooklyn Borough President Reverend Kim Council.
Photograph courtesy of Borough President Antonio Reynoso’s workplace
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Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso hosted “The Chisholm Effect,” an occasion on the Brooklyn Youngsters’s Museum that introduced civil leaders collectively 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,” mentioned Atiba T. Edwards, president and CEO of Brooklyn Youngsters’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 occasion 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 full of reward for Chisholm’s pioneering political profession, which bolstered the battle for civil rights.
“She was 5’3, 103 pounds, but she was big, bad, and bossy as ever, and did some amazing things, ” mentioned 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.”
Shirley Chisholm in 1972.Photograph by Warren Okay. Leffler by way of Library of Congress
Former Congress Member Ed Cities Jr. and former Meeting Member Annette Robinson shared private tales of working alongside Chisholm, emphasizing their lengthy historical past in native politics. Chisholm made historical past in 1968 as the primary Black lady elected to Congress and have become the primary lady to run for president in one of many two main political events in 1972.
Chisholm was born in Mattress-Stuy in 1923 to working-class immigrant mother and father from Barbados and Guyana. She went on to graduate from Brooklyn Ladies’ Excessive in 1942 and from Brooklyn Faculty cum laude in 1946. After incomes a level from Columbia College in 1951, she started her political profession by becoming a member of native chapters of the Democratic Celebration, the League of Ladies Voters, the Nationwide Affiliation for the Development of Coloured Folks (NAACP), and the City League.
By no means leaving Brooklyn far behind, Chisholm launched her presidential marketing campaign out of her Crown Top house at 1028 St. Johns Place.
Her political work introduced her to the nationwide stage, the place she campaigned for civil liberties amid discrimination and sexism.
“Shirley Chisholm led by example,” mentioned 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.”
Left to proper: Former Congress Member Ed Cities Jr., Deputy Borough President Reverend Kim Council, Brooklyn Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Kenya Johnson, former Meeting Member Annette Robinson, and an attendee. 
Borough President Antonio Reynoso delivers remarks on the enduring legacy of Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm.Photograph cour
Each Robinson and Cities Jr. spoke to the viewers concerning the significance of native political organizing and its potential for expansive change.
Chisholm would have celebrated her one centesimal birthday final November. Her legacy, domestically and nationally, persists to at the present time.
“Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm was the definition of a trailblazer whose story exemplifies our borough, and our country, at its best,” mentioned 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.”
