In celebration of African heritage month for profiles in excellence, we honor Shirley Chisholm 1924 to 2005, broke a number of barriers on the battlefield of politics. She was the first Black woman elected to the US House of Representatives. Born to immigrants from Barbados, Chisholm was expected to do well here. She began her political career from Bedford-Stuyvesant in Brooklyn. In 1972, she ran for president and received 150 votes at the Democratic National Convention on the first ballot. She was disappointed, however, by the lack of support by the national white feminist movement, by Black male politicians, and by Black national organizations. Her candidacy itself was a stark alternative to the norm. At a speech at the conference on women’s employment in Washington. She said, “Women in this country must become revolutionaries”. We must refuse to accept the old, traditional, and stereotypes. Incidentally, the only major black political organization to endorse her was the Black Panther Party. For Hard Knock radio, This is Mumia Abu Jamal.
These commentaries are recorded by Noel Hanrahan of Prison Radio.