Shirley Chisholm in Her Own Words: Speeches and Writings

by Zinga A. Fraser (editor)

"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 20-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.

Genres: Politics, Nonfiction, History

300 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 8, 2024

Reviews

[Guthrie C. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection of Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm’s intellectual legacy and prowess is an inspiring, revealing and important example great leadership. By combining her published essays and Congressional records with new, unabridged transcripts of her speeches, Zinga Fraser helps readers understand the depths and motivations of Congresswoman Chisholm’s public service as political leader. Most interesting in this collection is Congresswoman Chisholm’s contemporary voice which brings to life American politics and society of 1960s, ‘70s, and ‘80s and puts in stark relief how far the grand democratic experiment of the USA has come, and how much far it has yet to go in order to realize its ideal that Congresswoman Chisholm consistently championed for throughout her life.

[Viral · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up because while I was generally familiar with Shirley Chisholm's time as a Congresswoman and her 1972 presidential run, I didn't actually know much about her political stances. I really appreciated this book, though, for consolidating Chisholm's essays, speeches, letters, and congressional statements that show her attempts to champion progressive policies in a time when it was increasingly on the retreat nationally. It's especially tough reading some of these sections as she's describing the likely consequences of the failure to live up to the promises of the Civil Rights Movement and the damage that Nixon and Reagan were doing - knowing that she was completely correct in what would follow. An interesting collection of works, and an important reminder of how many folks at the time knew the War on Crime and Drugs were going to be political disasters, they were just ignored.