Black America 250 August 10, 1970 – Unbought and Unbossed: Shirley Chisholm-First Black Woman Elected to Congress.
On July 4, 2026, the United States of America will celebrate the 250 year anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Many events that involved or affected Black Americans may or may not be mentioned or spotlighted in mainstream America. With that in mind, the What We Need to Know Newsletter began featuring BLACK AMERICA 250. We will devote the next year to highlighting events that took place in our community over the last 250 years. It may be the birth of a significant individual or an event that took place between now and July 4, 2026. It may not have happened on the exact day that you are reading the newsletter, but it will be close enough, and more importantly, significant to our history. Shirley Anita St. Hill Chisholm was the first African American woman in Congress (1968) and the first woman and African American to seek the nomination for president of the United States from one of the two major political parties (1972). Her motto and title of her autobiography—Unbought and Unbossed—illustrates her outspoken advocacy for women and minorities during her seven terms in the U.S. House of Representatives.Born in Brooklyn, New York, on November 30, 1924, Chisholm was the oldest of four daughters to immigrant parents Charles St. Hill, a factory worker from Guyana, and Ruby Seale St. Hill, a seamstress from Barbados. She graduated from Brooklyn Girls’ High in 1942 and from Brooklyn College cum laude in 1946, where she won prizes on the debate team. Although professors encouraged her to consider a political career, she replied that she faced a “double handicap” as both Black and female.In 1964, Chisholm ran for and became the second African American in the New York State Legislature. After court-ordered redistricting created a new, heavily Democratic, district in her neighborhood, in 1968 Chisholm sought—and on August 10, won—a seat in Congress.
