The Control Coalition Organization

On the evening of November 5, 1968, Shirley Chisholm became the first Black woman elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. As a former nursery school teacher, Chisholm always centered the needs of young people in her politics.

She fought for Head Start, an early education program begun under LBJ. She also co-founded the Congressional Black Caucus and advocated for the Equal Rights Amendment.

"Unbought and Unbossed," as read one of her famous campaign slogans, is how many today still remember Chisholm. In 1972, she became the first Black woman to campaign for the Democratic Party presidential nomination. Though she did not secure her party's candidacy, she didn't consider her campaign a failure. “I am and always will be a catalyst for change,' she said. She would go on to serve another 11 years in Congress.

Citation: https://nmaahc.si.edu/shirley-chisholm-president
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