Article By Alexis Anderson // EEW Magazine Reporter
Seeing a black person or woman running for the president nowadays isn’t that strange. Back in 1972 when Shirley Chisholm did it, however, it was both radical and unheard of.
The democratic leader, who passed away in 2005 and received a posthumous Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2015, is certainly worthy of recognition during the month of March, which is Women’s History Month.
The Medal of Freedom is the highest civilian honor the president can bestow. Chisholm, along with 16 other notable Americans were given the great honor by President Barack Obama.
“Shirley Chisholm’s example transcends her life,” said Obama during the ceremony. “When asked how she’d like to be remembered, she said, ‘I’d like them to say Shirley Chisholm had guts.’ And I’m proud to say it — Shirley Chisholm had guts.”
Chisholm was the first woman or person of color to run for president for a major party. But that wasn’t her only first. She was also the first woman elected to Congress in 1968 and was a co-founder of the Congressional Black Caucus and later, the Congressional Women’s Caucus.
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source: EEWMagazine.com
Women’s History Month: Before Hillary Clinton, There Was Shirley Chisholm was originally published on praisecleveland.com
