Alexandria Galtney
Managing Editor
It’s hard deciding who, in African-American History, has been the most influential character in our lives.
With so many of our people continuously making strides towards a better tomorrow, its so hard to just select one person, but the one person that has stood out the most to me, would be political and civil rights activist, Shirley Chisholm.
Chisholm was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., to Barbadian parents. When she was three years old, she was sent to live with her grandmother on a farm in Barbados.
She received much of her primary education in the Barbadian school system, which stressed the traditional British teachings of reading, writing, and history.
Chisholm credits much of her educational successes to this well-rounded early education.
After graduating with honors from Brooklyn College in 1946, Chisholm began work as a nursery school teacher and later as a director of schools for early childhood education. She became politically active with the Democratic Party and quickly developed a reputation as a person who challenged the traditional roles of women, African-Americans, and the poor.
Chisholm made headlines by becoming the first African-American woman to run for President of the United States in 1972. She addressed the judicial system in the United States, police brutality, prison reform, gun control, drug abuse and numerous other topics.
Chisholm is a model of independence and honesty and has championed several issues including civil rights, aid for the poor, and women’s rights.
She stands out to me because of her brutal honesty and the fact that she spoke out when others were silent during a time that was not receptive to her.
Chisholm is the biggest minority, she is a woman and she is black, and yet, neither of those characteristics kept her from success.
A champion of minority education and employment opportunities throughout her tenure in Congress, Chisholm was also a vocal opponent of the draft. After leaving Congress in 1983, she taught at Mount Holyoke College and was popular on the lecture circuit.
I am inspired by Shirley Chisholm because of her continuous fight towards education and equal rights between races and minorities.
America needs more African-American women that are idealistic and not afraid of making effective change. We need black women who are a force to be reckoned with and who are self-determined to go the extra mile for fairness.
I was raised by both parents, but was influenced by my mother and the other women in my family to not depend on men and to dominate this world that is driven by men.
Shirley Chisholm once said, “You don’t make progress by standing on the sidelines, whimpering and complaining. You make progress by implementing ideas.”
What I have learned from this statement is that while you are seating on the bench waiting to play, be the person reading the field, analyzing the next best step until it’s your time to perform.
It’s important to educate ourselves and remain vocal about the things that are not right with society, because just like Chisholm, I refuse to be denied respect because I wear a skirt and my melanin is dark.
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