I first learned about Shirley Chisholm as a child while watching a syndicated episode of the 1970s sitcom Good Times. Thelma, one of the sitcom characters, suggested that her younger brother Michael write an essay about a woman that he admires instead of a man and suggested Shirley Chisholm. When I asked my mother about her, she told me that she was the first black person to run for President of the United States. The next time I heard Shirley Chisholm’s name mentioned frequently was during the 2008 Democratic presidential primaries. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton were about to make history as either the first black or first woman Democratic party nominee. Shirley Chisholm was credited as being the pioneer for this occurrence.  

I recently watched the Netflix movie Shirley and learned more about her 1972 presidential campaign. Shirley Chisholm only spent $300,000 for her campaign which was considered underfunded. She had miniscule support from her colleagues and received three confirmed death threats. Although she faced many obstacles during the campaign, she demonstrated trailblazing leadership during her time as a congresswoman. She fought for unemployment benefits for domestic workers and sponsored a bill to ensure their minimum wage. In addition, she championed  the Equal Rights Amendment, enlisting women into public service, publicly funded daycare, parental leave, and civil rights and voting rights for all citizens.

Shirley Chisholm exemplified the following leadership characteristics.

1.      Visionary  

Shirley Chisholm began her career as an educator but did not let not having a background in politics deter her. She sought change for the underserved first at the local level which expanded to state, and finally to national.

2.      Assertiveness

When Shirley Chisolm was assigned to serve on the House Agriculture Committee, she appealed the appointment because she didn’t think it would benefit her Brooklyn, NY district. Her appeal was denied, but her work on the committee help create the Special Supplement Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children that did benefit her district.

3.      Empathy

Shirley Chisolm visited George Wallace, Alabama Governor and a political rival, in the hospital after he was shot in an assassination attempt. When asked about the visit, she said that she would not want what happened to him to happen to anyone.