(Shirley Chisholm pictured above; Image Credit: The Washington Post)
Hello Everyone and welcome to Live Life The Girl Way! Today is the first post in the Amazing Women Series. This is a series where I share an amazing woman in history with all of you every week. It is so important for us to celebrate the women in history that have made important differences in our world. I encourage you to read and share this post and make time to come back every week to learn about a new amazing woman. This week’s amazing woman is Shirley Chisholm, read on to find out all about her!
- Shirley Chisholm was the First African American Woman To Run For President
To run for president is an amazing feat any day, but in the year that Shirley Chisholm decided to run for president made it a historic action. As an African American woman, deciding to run for president was a statement. It was a statement that Shirley Chisholm was not afraid to go where no one had gone before. She did this not just for her own chance to become president, but to inspire all of the girls and women that came after her to forgo any limitations and to go after their goals. This was a huge step in the course of history and still something that deserves to be celebrated today. This single action removed any doubt from the minds of young female minorities that they could not run for president, a feat that had not been attempted before.
- She Campaigned For Brooklyn’s First Black Judge
Shirley Chisholm was a woman determined to make and support positive change. Not only did she make the changes herself, but she also helped others to break barriers and make positive changes in society. This inspires me to strive to help others to make positive change because society only moves forward when we all support each other in our efforts to make the world the best place possible. Many people in history worked to make changes, but the successful ones worked not only for themselves but with others to make the most impact possible. This attitude of support and collaboration that Shirley Chisholm carried was an amazing trait that greatly contributed to her success.
- She Served in the NY State Assembly
Serving in the NY State Assembly was a great honor and a large step in Shirley Chisholm’s career. Chisholm’s career was not an easy one that was full of predictable steps, instead, it was a historic one in which almost every step was a historic moment that America and the world watched. Chisholm maintained her steady trajectory to achievement with grace; she never gave up or stopped when challenged, instead, she embraced the challenges and decided to move forward. From this observation, I learned that I too should never walk away from my goals due to challenges that I have to face, instead, I should move forward and strive to achieve in all that I do. I think this mindset of determination is one that we should all employ in our everyday lives.
- She was the First Black Woman Elected To Congress
Have I mentioned that Shirley Chisholm had a historic career? Well, If I haven’t mentioned it, I will mention it now! 🙂 Chisholm made waves in Congress, not only with her presence as the first Black woman to be elected to Congress, but also in her initiatives that she successfully carried out while she was there (see the next two facts). She did not enter Congress and then slow the stream of achievements, on the contrary, when she entered Congress she began to make more change than ever. Let me just say, if this doesn’t encourage you to never settle for “good enough” I really do not know what will! 🙂
- She Fought For Racial and Gender Equity
Shirley Chisholm had already reached a level of achievement that most other humans never reach, but instead of stopping when she was in the best position possible, she decided to work to help others to also gain the rights that they deserved. This is something that is just amazing because many people are not selfless enough to help others, but Shirley Chisholm was. She carried this selflessness with her throughout her career, and she helped so many people because of it.
- She Worked to Increase the Minimum Wage
To notice people suffering and to remark about “what a pity it is” happens to be a common occurrence, but for someone to take it upon themselves to do what they can to lessen or eliminate the suffering is hard to find. Shirley Chisholm was someone that chose to make things happen. If she saw a problem she was ready to implement a solution, and that is exactly what she did with minimum wage. I find this to be very inspiring and I hope to also be the kind of person that finds and implements solutions to the world’s problems. I think that if we all transition from the “what a pity” mindset to the “how can I help” mindset, we can all follow in Chisholm’s footsteps to make the world a brighter place.
- She Co-founded The National Congress of Black Women
Shirley Chisholm never gave up. She never stopped finding ways to unify people and to encourage others to use their minds and voices to make positive change. In Co-founding The National Congress of Black Women she did just that. Her drive to empower and encourage others to achieve was evident in all that she did, and in founding institutions such as this one, she helped to inspire a lot of progress and positive change.
- She was Nominated by President Bill Clinton to Serve as the U.S. Ambassador to Jamaica in 1993
Shirley Chisholm was given the great honor of being nominated by a U.S. president to serve as a United States Ambassador in another country. Because of her flow of achievements and historical career, Chisholm was recognized for all that she had done. We too should recognize her achievements and celebrate her historic career. Her career is one that inspires women globally every day to strive for the absolute best in all that they do and to inspire positive change in their societies and the surrounding world.
- Chisholm’s famous quotes:
- “I want to be remembered as a woman … who dared to be a catalyst of change.”
- “I’m a revolutionary at heart now and I’ve got to run, even though it might be the downfall of my career.”
- “This is fighting Shirley Chisholm coming through.”
- “Just wait, there may be some fireworks.”
- campaign slogan: “Unbought and unbossed”
- “I am not the candidate of Black America, although I am Black and proud. I am not the candidate of the women’s movement of this country, although I am a woman and I am equally proud of that…I am the candidate of the people of America, and my presence before you now symbolizes a new era in American political history.”
Thank you everyone for reading about this week’s amazing woman, Shirley Chisholm. Be inspired and help to celebrate her achievements and keep her memory alive by sharing this post with your friends and family. Come back next week for the next amazing woman in the “Amazing Women Series”! As always…
Dream-Succeed-Achieve,
Live Life The Girl Way
Want to learn more about Shirley Chisholm? Click on my sources below to find out more!
Quotes Taken From Mentalfloss.com
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