NYC establishes ‘Shirley Chisholm Day’ to honor trailblazing New Yorker

The beingness and bequest of Shirley Chisholm — the groundbreaking person who made past successful 1968 arsenic the archetypal Black pistillate to beryllium elected to the U.S. Congress — volition present beryllium officially celebrated each twelvemonth successful her autochthonal New York City.

On Monday, the City Council Committee connected Civil and Human Rights voted to designate her birthday, Nov. 30, arsenic Shirley Chisholm Day.

“As a autochthonal New Yorker, Shirley Chisholm dedicated much of her beingness to serving the radical of New York City,”  the seat of the committee, Councilmember Nantasha Williams, said soon earlier the vote. “Seeing arsenic her day is November 30, determination would beryllium nary amended day to observe her publication to this large metropolis arsenic an educator, activistic and elected official.”

Bedford-Stuyvesant teens articulation adults successful listening arsenic Rep. Shirley Chisholm dedicates a playground sanction for her astatine the Willoughby Houses successful Brooklyn, New York, connected Oct. 9, 1971. (Hy Rothman / New York Daily News)

The oldest of 4 daughters of immigrants, Shirley Anita St. Hill Chisholm was calved successful Brooklyn connected Nov. 30, 1924 and attended Brooklyn Girls’ High earlier graduating from Brooklyn College cum laude successful 1946.

Despite encouragement from her teachers to get into politics, Chisholm was good alert of the difficulties she would brushwood being some Black and female, which she called a “double handicap,” according to the National Women’s History Museum.

But that didn’t halt the nursery schoolhouse teacher from continuing to propulsion the boundaries that would yet alteration the people of American politics, opening the doors to generations to travel and paving the mode for radical similar Vice President Kamala Harris.

“Shirley Chisholm created a way for maine and for truthful galore others,” Harris wrote connected societal media connected Jan. 16, 2021 aft winning her historical bid for second-in-command. “Today, I’m reasoning astir her inspirational words: “I am, and ever volition beryllium a catalyst for change.”

Shirley Chisholm astatine her location successful Palm Coast, Florida, successful 1997. (Gary Rothstein for New York Daily News)

In 1964, the then-39-year-old became lone the 2nd Black lawmaker elected to the New York State Legislature aft Edward Austin Johnson, who was elected to the New York State Assembly successful 1917.

Her outspoken advocacy for women and minorities led the Democrat to Congress conscionable 4 years later.

Chisholm, who represented an country successful Brooklyn that included Bedford–Stuyvesant for 7 presumption — from 1969 to 1983 — besides became the archetypal Black campaigner to question a statesmanlike information from a large enactment successful 1972.

Councilmember Farah Louis, who sponsored the legislation, said the solution “is much than a designation — but an affirmation of the contribution” of Chisholm.

She “unlocked and opened doors for generations of governmental leaders who were excluded simply for being Black,” Louis said.