Senate Resolution No. 1925

BY: Senator RYAN

CELEBRATING the 50th Anniversary of Shirley
Chisholm's 1972 Campaign for President of the United
States

WHEREAS, Shirley Chisholm was born Shirley Anita St. Hill on
November 30, 1924, in Brooklyn, New York, the daughter of Charles
Christopher St. Hill and Ruby Seale, immigrants from British Guiana and
Barbados; and

WHEREAS, Shirley Chisholm attended Girls' High School in Brooklyn,
New York, and earned her Bachelor of Arts degree cum laude in 1946, from
Brooklyn College; three years later, she married Conrad O. Chisholm, an
immigrant from Jamaica, and began working as a nursery school teacher;
and

WHEREAS, Shirley Chisholm furthered her education by obtaining her
Master of Arts degree in Elementary Education from Teachers College at
Columbia University in 1952, and by 1960, she served as a consultant to
the New York City Division of Day Care; and

WHEREAS, Shirley Chisholm became more and more socially aware, and
joined local chapters of the League of Women Voters, the National
Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and the Urban
League; and

WHEREAS, In November of 1964, Shirley Chisholm was elected to the
New York State Assembly, representing the 17th District, and
subsequently, the 45th and 55th Districts; and

WHEREAS, Shirley Chisholm was then elected to the United States
House of Representatives in 1968, representing New York's 12th District,
becoming the first Black woman elected to Congress; and

WHEREAS, Throughout her tenure, "Fighting Shirley" truly lived by
her motto, "Unbought and Unbossed"; she introduced more than 50 pieces
of legislation, championed racial and gender equality, the plight of the
poor, and ending the Vietnam War; and

WHEREAS, In addition, Shirley Chisholm was a co-founder of the
National Women's Political Caucus in 1971, and in 1977, became the first
Black woman and second woman ever to serve on the powerful House Rules
Committee; and

WHEREAS, In that same year, Shirley Chisholm married New York State
Legislator Arthur Hardwick Jr.; and

WHEREAS, Shirley Chisholm launched her campaign for President of the
United States of America on January 25, 1972, declaring "I am the
candidate of the people of America."; and

WHEREAS, Shirley Chisholm would go on to serve seven terms in the
United States House of Representatives until retiring in 1982; and

WHEREAS, From 1983-1987, Shirley Chisholm taught both sociology and
politics at Mount Holyoke College, and later, became a visiting scholar
at Spelman College; and

WHEREAS, Shirley Chisholm passed away on January 1, 2005, in Ormond
Beach, Florida, and is interred at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Buffalo, New
York; and

WHEREAS, Shirley Chisholm became the first Black woman to seek the
nomination of a major party for President of the United States of
America, making her a true trailblazer for women and Black Americans in
the United States; and

WHEREAS, Shirley Chisholm worked tirelessly to help the poor and
vulnerable of society, and always fought for equal justice under the
law, and equality for all Americans; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
honor Shirley Chisholm for her commitment to public service, her
outspoken advocacy, and tireless dedication to creating a more perfect
union, as we mark the 50th Anniversary of her inspirational campaign for
the Presidency of the United States of America.