It'signed for the Way Black History Fact and Today's Way Black History Fact is sponsored by an underground beach club from the streets to the beach. For the latest in beachwhere visit Underground Beach club dot com. We're going to talk about the first black woman who actually makes some real headway and running for president. She was almost assassinated three times, and you're going to share a story with you. Shirley Anita Chisholm was born November thirtieth, nineteen twenty four
through January first, two thousand and five. She was an American politician who in nineteen sixty eight became the first black woman to be elected to the United States Congress. Chisholm represented New York's twelfth Congressional District, a district centered on Bedford Stuiberson, her seven terms from nineteen sixty nine
to nineteen eighty three. In nineteen seventy two, she became the first black candidate for a major party nomination for the president of the United States and the first woman to run for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination, and she was a black woman. Throughout her career, she was known for taking a resolute stand against economic social and political injustices, as well as being a strong supporter of black civil
rights and women's rights. By the way, this reading comes from Wikipedia, It's important to say that born in Brooklyn, New York, she spent ages five through nine in Barbados, and she always considered herself a Barbadian American. She excelled at school and earned her college degree in the United States. She started working in early childhood education and became involved
in local Democratic Party policies in the nineteen fifties. In nineteen sixty four, overcoming some resistance because she was a woman, she was elected to the New York State Assembly. Four years later, she was elected to Congress, where she led the expansion of food and nutrition programs for the poor and rose to party leadership. She retired from Congress in nineteen eighty three and taught at Mount Holyoke College while
continuing her political organizing. Although not dominated for an ambassadorship in nineteen ninety three, health issues caused her to withdraw. She garnered ten percent of the vote at the Democratic National Convention in nineteen seventy two, and though she failed to win the nomination, she was forced to survive three assassination attempts during this presidential run. Some say her bid
laid the groundwork for future presidential bids by women. In twenty fifteen, Chisholm was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. So the thing that stood out to me about this story is that there were three assassination attempts, three attempts on her life in the seventies, which, to me, the seventies feels like the modern era, like I can reach out and touch someone who was born in the seventies
or born in the sixties, you know. And this was after you know, doctor King was assassinated, you know what I mean. Like it it's more modern and I feel I obviously I don't have no proof, but I feel like these assassination attempts were because she was a black woman and.
Was I think more importantly, because she was a black woman that they had to feel had some influence that had a shot, you know what I mean, that that could really change people's minds about what was possible, inspire those who came after her to try the same thing. Right, if she was not influential and didn't have that kind of impact, why even why
Yeah, Well, I I'm appreciative of the groundwork that she like God bless