As the first black woman elected into the United States Congress, Shirley Chisholm led and advocated for anti-poverty efforts. She also helped establish the Community Services Block Grant that aims to reduce poverty and empower low-income individuals to become self-sufficient, and was outspoken about racial and gender inequality in her community.
Outside of her work as U.S. Representative, Chisholm provided her consulting services to the New York City Division of Day Care thanks to her background in early childhood education. She was also a member of local chapters of the League of Women Voters, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the Urban League, as well as the Democratic Party club in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn.
While many recognize her as the first woman and African American to seek the 1972 U.S. presidential nomination from one of the two major political parties, her contributions to society are trailblazing.
It is the work and legacy of community leaders like Shirley Chisholm that drive the work of SHECP and our aim to equip and empower students to enact change and work to diminish poverty in our country.
Learn more about what we do here.
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