Home Letters Shirley Chisholm: first woman to run for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination
Dear Editor,
It was Shirley Chisholm who, in 1972, became the first African American, and the first woman, to seek the nomination as candidate for President of the United States.
Decades before Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton, there was Shirley Chisholm. As the first black woman to run for President for a major political party, she was years ahead of her time. So why don’t more people know about her?
Forty-four years ago this week, Shirley Chisholm made history, as she announced her candidacy for the White House. Her bid for the top job was short lived, but the symbolism is as powerful today as it was then.
She was a pioneer for her generation, a woman of many firsts – the first African American congresswoman, the first African American to run for president and the first woman to run for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination.
Yours Faithfully,
Rooplall Dudhnath