A true American trailblazer comes to life in Netflix’s Shirley. The sweeping biopic, starring Oscar winner Regina King and directed by John Ridley, takes on the inspiring story of the “unbought and unbossed” pioneering politician Shirley Chisholm amid her audacious 1972 run for president of the United States. The film’s main events center around the momentous year of the icon’s life, plus other historical moments, like her becoming the first Black woman elected to U.S. Congress. It also peels back the curtain on the woman behind a groundbreaking political campaign, who battled racial and sexist obstacles during her monumental rise to the top. However, the movie only scratches the surface of Chisholm’s barrier-breaking achievements that spread throughout her life.
Chisholm, the daughter of a Barbados maid and a Guyanese laborer, was raised in Brooklyn, NY, and began her professional career as a school teacher before transitioning to politics. From then on, she became an effective advocate for gender equality, civil rights, and underserved minorities, earning her self-proclaimed reputation as “the people’s politician.” Chisholm continued to serve the public until her health declined in the early ‘90s. She died on January 1, 2005, in Ormond Beach, FL, at the age of 80, but continued to receive accolades posthumously, living up to her legacy as someone who “dared to be a catalyst of change.”
For a complete picture of Chisholm’s impactful political career, here’s a quick timeline tracing the milestone moments before, during, and after her historic presidential bid.
1953
According to History, Chisholm started her political career campaigning for Lewis Flagg Jr. to become Brooklyn’s first Black judge. From there, she got involved with the Bedford-Stuyvesant Political League—a group that fought for economic empowerment and civil rights—and other political circles like the League of Women Voters, the Brooklyn Democratic Clubs, and the Unity Democratic Club.
Chisholm circa 1965.
1964
Drawing on her political experiences in her hometown, Chisholm ran—and won—her election for the New York State Legislature, becoming the second African-American to do so. Per Coalition For the Homeless, she served four years on behalf of New York’s 17th Assembly District, where she helped domestic workers secure unemployment benefits and championed a program that helped underprivileged students attend college while taking remedial education classes.
1968
As seen in Shirley, Chisholm became the first Black woman to be elected to Congress, representing New York’s 12th District for seven terms from 1969 to 1983. During her time in the U.S. House of Representatives, “Fighting Shirley” introduced over 50 pieces of legislation and remained an outspoken champion for economic justice and racial and gender equality. She also served on several committees, including the House Agriculture Committee, the Veterans Affairs Committee, the Education and Labor Committee, and the powerful Rules Committee— which made her the first Black woman and the second woman ever to serve in that capacity, according to the National Archives Museum.
1969
During her time in Congress, Chisholm was made the honorary co-president of the National Association for the Repeal of Abortion Laws and proposed abortion legislation, per Julie A. Gallagher’s 2012 book, Black Women and Politics in New York City. Chisholm continued her involvement in women-focused groups, becoming a founding member of the National Women’s Political Caucus in 1971. That same year, she also joined the Congressional Black Caucus.
1970
Chisholm capitalized on her famous “unbought and unbossed” slogan and turned it into a classic memoir of the same name. The autobiographical book traced her extensive political struggles and detailed her remarkable rise as a young girl from Brooklyn who became the first Black congresswoman and a powerful symbol of change.
1972
Chisholm launched a revolutionary presidential campaign at the height of her political career, becoming the first Black person to seek the Democratic Party’s nomination. The political icon’s uphill battle was plagued by discrimination, which blocked her from participating in televised primary debates. She took legal action but was only allowed to make one single speech. Though the “Chisholm Trail” was unsuccessful in advancing Chisholm in the election, she still entered 12 primaries and secured 152 delegate votes (10 percent of the total) despite her under-financed campaign and pushback from the predominantly male Congressional Black Caucus. In the end, Chisholm still made a life-changing impact. She fought tooth and nail for racial and gender equity on the national stage, paving the way for future women leaders, like Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, to follow in her footsteps. Vice President Harris even said in 2020, “We stand on the shoulders of Shirley Chisholm, and Shirley Chisholm stood proud.”
A poster from Chisholm’s 1972 presidential campaign.
1984
In 1983, Chisholm retired from Congress and went on to teach at Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts, per History. The following year, she and political/social activist C. Delores Tucker co-founded the National Congress of Black Women, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the educational, economic, political, and cultural advancement of women like them.
1993
Former President Bill Clinton nominated Chisholm to serve as the United States Ambassador to Jamaica during his time in the White House. However, she asked that her nomination be withdrawn due to her ill health. In his statement announcing the news, Clinton called Chisholm “a true pioneer of American politics” who “would have been a powerful voice for cooperation and justice” in Jamaica.