WEBVTT - 091623 Way Black History Fact - The First Black Woman in Congress

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<v Speaker 1>It'signed for the Way Black History Fact and Today's Way

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<v Speaker 1>Black History Fact is sponsored by an underground beach club

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<v Speaker 1>from the streets to the beach. For the latest in

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<v Speaker 1>beachwhere visit Underground Beach club dot com. We're going to

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<v Speaker 1>talk about the first black woman who actually makes some

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<v Speaker 1>real headway and running for president. She was almost assassinated

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<v Speaker 1>three times, and you're going to share a story with you.

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<v Speaker 1>Shirley Anita Chisholm was born November thirtieth, nineteen twenty four

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<v Speaker 1>through January first, two thousand and five. She was an

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<v Speaker 1>American politician who in nineteen sixty eight became the first

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<v Speaker 1>black woman to be elected to the United States Congress.

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<v Speaker 1>Chisholm represented New York's twelfth Congressional District, a district centered

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<v Speaker 1>on Bedford Stuiberson, her seven terms from nineteen sixty nine

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<v Speaker 1>to nineteen eighty three. In nineteen seventy two, she became

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<v Speaker 1>the first black candidate for a major party nomination for

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<v Speaker 1>the president of the United States and the first woman

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<v Speaker 1>to run for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination, and she

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<v Speaker 1>was a black woman. Throughout her career, she was known

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<v Speaker 1>for taking a resolute stand against economic social and political injustices,

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<v Speaker 1>as well as being a strong supporter of black civil

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<v Speaker 1>rights and women's rights. By the way, this reading comes

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<v Speaker 1>from Wikipedia, It's important to say that born in Brooklyn,

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<v Speaker 1>New York, she spent ages five through nine in Barbados,

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<v Speaker 1>and she always considered herself a Barbadian American. She excelled

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<v Speaker 1>at school and earned her college degree in the United States.

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<v Speaker 1>She started working in early childhood education and became involved

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<v Speaker 1>in local Democratic Party policies in the nineteen fifties. In

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<v Speaker 1>nineteen sixty four, overcoming some resistance because she was a woman,

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<v Speaker 1>she was elected to the New York State Assembly. Four

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<v Speaker 1>years later, she was elected to Congress, where she led

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<v Speaker 1>the expansion of food and nutrition programs for the poor

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<v Speaker 1>and rose to party leadership. She retired from Congress in

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<v Speaker 1>nineteen eighty three and taught at Mount Holyoke College while

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<v Speaker 1>continuing her political organizing. Although not dominated for an ambassadorship

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<v Speaker 1>in nineteen ninety three, health issues caused her to withdraw.

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<v Speaker 1>She garnered ten percent of the vote at the Democratic

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<v Speaker 1>National Convention in nineteen seventy two, and though she failed

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<v Speaker 1>to win the nomination, she was forced to survive three

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<v Speaker 1>assassination attempts during this presidential run. Some say her bid

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<v Speaker 1>laid the groundwork for future presidential bids by women. In

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<v Speaker 1>twenty fifteen, Chisholm was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

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<v Speaker 1>So the thing that stood out to me about this

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<v Speaker 1>story is that there were three assassination attempts, three attempts

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<v Speaker 1>on her life in the seventies, which, to me, the

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<v Speaker 1>seventies feels like the modern era, like I can reach

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<v Speaker 1>out and touch someone who was born in the seventies

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<v Speaker 1>or born in the sixties, you know. And this was

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<v Speaker 1>after you know, doctor King was assassinated, you know what

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<v Speaker 1>I mean. Like it it's more modern and I feel

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<v Speaker 1>I obviously I don't have no proof, but I feel

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<v Speaker 1>like these assassination attempts were because she was a black

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<v Speaker 1>woman and.

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<v Speaker 2>Was I think more importantly, because she was a black

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<v Speaker 2>woman that they had to feel had some influence that

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<v Speaker 2>had a shot, you know what I mean, that that

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<v Speaker 2>could really change people's minds about what was possible, inspire

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<v Speaker 2>those who came after her to try the same thing. Right,

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<v Speaker 2>if she was not influential and didn't have that kind

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<v Speaker 2>of impact, why even why

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, Well, I I'm appreciative of the groundwork that she

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<v Speaker 1>like God bless