Shirley Chisholm in Her Own Words

"A timely, detailed, and inspiring book that helps maintain the intellectual legacy of Shirley Chisholm. The book reveals new dimensions of the congresswoman's politics, activism, and spirit."—Regina King, Academy Award–winning actor and star of Shirley

Looking beyond her political symbolism to celebrate not only who Shirley Chisholm was but who she is—a revolutionary thinker with much to teach us today.
 
In the midst of her groundbreaking twenty-year career in the U.S. House of Representatives, Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm once declared, "Everyone—with the exception of the black woman herself—has been interpreting the black woman." Edited by Zinga A. Fraser, the leading scholar dedicated to the study of Chisholm's legacy, Shirley Chisholm in Her Own Words gives readers a rare opportunity to engage with the congresswoman's powerful ideas in her own voice.
 
Many Americans are familiar with Chisholm's importance as the first Black woman in Congress and the first woman and African American to run for president with either major party. This long-overdue treatment of her work establishes Chisholm as an unparalleled public intellectual and Black feminist both in her time and now. The book not only contextualizes the Civil Rights and Black Power era; it also provides timeless insights on issues that are exceedingly relevant in our current moment. Featuring a captivating introduction by Fraser, Shirley Chisholm in Her Own Words introduces a new generation to one of the most impactful proponents of democracy in America.

Zinga A. Fraser is Assistant Professor of Africana Studies and Women's and Gender Studies at Brooklyn College and Director of the Shirley Chisholm Project on Brooklyn Women's Activism.

Contents

Introduction 

1. Education 
“The Necessity for a New Thrust in Education Today” 
“The Day Care Dilemma” 
Closing Remarks, “Black Studies and Women’s Studies: An Overdue Partnership” 
“Black Struggle in History for Excellence in Education” 

2. Colonialism 
“People and Peace, Not Profits and War” 
“The Black as a Colonized Man” 
“On Captive Nations Week” 
Presidential Campaign Position Paper No. 1: Foreign Aid 
Presidential Campaign Position Paper No. 2: The Middle East Crisis 
Presidential Campaign Position Paper No. 3: Equality of Commitment—Africa 

3. Criminal Justice 
“The Attica Prison Uprising: A National Tragedy and Disgrace” 
Presidential Campaign Position Paper No. 5: Justice in America 

4. Race, Racism, and Civil Rights 
“Racism and Polarization” 
“On Busing Desegregation” 
Presidential Campaign Position Paper No. 8: Housing 
“The White Press: Sexist and Racist” 
“U.S. Policy and Black Refugees” 

5. U.S. Politics and Coalitions of the Marginal 
“A Government That Cannot Hear the People” 
Presidential Campaign Announcement 
“The Politics of Coalition” 
“Politics Is Every Black Woman’s Business” 

6. Women’s Rights and Leadership 
“Equal Rights for Women” 
“Economic Justice for Women” 
“I’d Rather Be Black Than Female” 
“Facing the Abortion Question” 
“Race, Revolution, and Women” 
“The Black Woman in Contemporary America” 
Address to the Conference of Black and Latin Women in Art and Politics 
“The Viability of Black Women in Politics” 

7. Youth and Student Revolution 
“Progress through Understanding” 
“Lowering the Voting Age to 18” 
“Youth and America’s Future” 

8. Poetry 
“Land of Our Birth” 

Acknowledgments 
Selected Bibliography 
Index