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The Last Interview
Shirley Chisholm: The Last Interview: And Other Conversations
Shirley Chisholm became the first black woman elected to Congress in 1968 after campaigning under the slogan, Unbought and Unbossed, and her political career never swerved from that principle--she was fearless, undaunted, brilliant, and always first and foremost a servant to nobody but the people.
When Shirley Chisholm announced her candidacy for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1972, she became the first black candidate for a major party's nomination just four years after she had become the first ever black woman in Congress. In typical fashion, she acknowledged the landmark but knew it was beside the point: I am not the candidate of black America, although I am black and proud. I am not the candidate of the women's movement of this country, although I am a woman and I'm equally proud of that. What she emphasized was: I am the candidate of the people of America.
Her legacy has only further demonstrated her profoundly humane politics and her undaunted and tireless work ethic. In a set of interviews that extend from the first major profile by Susan Brownmiller to her final interview documenting her life and reflecting on her legacy, Shirley Chisholm reveals her disciplined and demanding childhood, the expectations on her placed by her family and the public, her tireless advocacy for the poorest and most disadvantaged in the halls of government, and the darkening course of American history. But on her legacy, Chisholm had one priority: I'd like them to say that Shirley Chisholm had guts. That's how I'd like to be remembered.
When Shirley Chisholm announced her candidacy for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1972, she became the first black candidate for a major party's nomination just four years after she had become the first ever black woman in Congress. In typical fashion, she acknowledged the landmark but knew it was beside the point: I am not the candidate of black America, although I am black and proud. I am not the candidate of the women's movement of this country, although I am a woman and I'm equally proud of that. What she emphasized was: I am the candidate of the people of America.
Her legacy has only further demonstrated her profoundly humane politics and her undaunted and tireless work ethic. In a set of interviews that extend from the first major profile by Susan Brownmiller to her final interview documenting her life and reflecting on her legacy, Shirley Chisholm reveals her disciplined and demanding childhood, the expectations on her placed by her family and the public, her tireless advocacy for the poorest and most disadvantaged in the halls of government, and the darkening course of American history. But on her legacy, Chisholm had one priority: I'd like them to say that Shirley Chisholm had guts. That's how I'd like to be remembered.
- GenresPoliticsNonfiction
112 pages, Paperback
Published January 19, 2021
6 people are currently reading
191 people want to read
About the author
Shirley Chisholm
14 books72 followersShirley Anita St. Hill was born in Brooklyn, New York, of immigrant parents. Her father, Charles Christopher St. Hill, was born in British Guiana and arrived in the United States via Antilla, Cuba, on April 10, 1923, aboard the S.S. Munamar in New York City. Her mother, Ruby Seale, was born in Christ Church, Barbados, and arrived in New York City aboard the S.S. Pocone on March 8, 1921. At age three, Chisholm was sent to Barbados to live with her maternal grandmother, Emaline Seale, in Christ Church; where she attended the Vauxhall Primary School. She did not return until roughly seven years later when she arrived in New York City on May 19, 1934, aboard the S.S. Narissa. In her 1970 autobiography Unbought and Unbossed, she wrote: "Years later I would know what an important gift my parents had given me by seeing to it that I had my early education in the strict, traditional, British-style schools of Barbados. If I speak and write easily now, that early education is the main reason."
Chisholm is an alumna of Girls' High School, she earned her BA from Brooklyn College in 1946 and later earned her MA from Columbia University in elementary education in 1952. She was a member of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.
From 1953 to 1959, she was director of the Hamilton-Madison Child Care Center. From 1959 to 1964, she was an educational consultant for the Division of Day Care.
In 1964, Chisholm ran for and was elected to the New York State Legislature. In 1968, she ran as the Democratic candidate for New York's 12th District congressional seat and was elected to the House of Representatives. Defeating Republican candidate James Farmer, Chisholm became the first black woman elected to Congress. Chisholm joined the Congressional Black Caucus in 1971 as one of its founding members.
As a freshman, Chisholm was assigned to the House Agricultural Committee. Given her urban district, she felt the placement was irrelevant to her constituents and shocked many by asking for reassignment. She was then placed on the Veterans' Affairs Committee. Soon after, she voted for Hale Boggs as House Majority Leader over John Conyers. As a reward for her support, Boggs assigned her to the much-prized Education and Labor Committee, which was her preferred committee. She was the third highest-ranking member of this committee when she retired from Congress.
All those Chisholm hired for her office were women, half of them black. Chisholm said that during her New York legislative career, she had faced much more discrimination because she was a woman than because she was black.
In the 1972 U.S. presidential election, she made a bid for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination. She survived three assassination attempts during the campaign. She campaigned in 12 states and won the Louisiana, Mississippi, and New Jersey primaries earning 152 delegates. However, she lost the hotly contested primaries to George McGovern at the convention in Miami Beach, Florida. At the 1972 Democratic National Convention, as a symbolic gesture, McGovern opponent Hubert H. Humphrey released his black delegates to Chisholm,giving her a total of 152 first-ballot votes for the nomination. Chisholm's base of support was ethnically diverse and included the National Organization for Women. Chisholm said she ran for the office "in spite of hopeless odds... to demonstrate the sheer will and refusal to accept the status quo." Among the volunteers who were inspired by her campaign was Barbara Lee, who continued to be politically active and was elected as a congresswoman 25 years later. Betty Friedan and Gloria Steinem attempted to run as Chisholm delegates in New York.
Chisholm created controversy when she visited rival and ideological opposite George Wallace in the hospital soon after his shooting in May 1972, during the 1972 presidential primary campaign. Several years later, when Chisholm worked on a bill to give domestic workers the right to a minimum wage, Wallac
Chisholm is an alumna of Girls' High School, she earned her BA from Brooklyn College in 1946 and later earned her MA from Columbia University in elementary education in 1952. She was a member of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.
From 1953 to 1959, she was director of the Hamilton-Madison Child Care Center. From 1959 to 1964, she was an educational consultant for the Division of Day Care.
In 1964, Chisholm ran for and was elected to the New York State Legislature. In 1968, she ran as the Democratic candidate for New York's 12th District congressional seat and was elected to the House of Representatives. Defeating Republican candidate James Farmer, Chisholm became the first black woman elected to Congress. Chisholm joined the Congressional Black Caucus in 1971 as one of its founding members.
As a freshman, Chisholm was assigned to the House Agricultural Committee. Given her urban district, she felt the placement was irrelevant to her constituents and shocked many by asking for reassignment. She was then placed on the Veterans' Affairs Committee. Soon after, she voted for Hale Boggs as House Majority Leader over John Conyers. As a reward for her support, Boggs assigned her to the much-prized Education and Labor Committee, which was her preferred committee. She was the third highest-ranking member of this committee when she retired from Congress.
All those Chisholm hired for her office were women, half of them black. Chisholm said that during her New York legislative career, she had faced much more discrimination because she was a woman than because she was black.
In the 1972 U.S. presidential election, she made a bid for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination. She survived three assassination attempts during the campaign. She campaigned in 12 states and won the Louisiana, Mississippi, and New Jersey primaries earning 152 delegates. However, she lost the hotly contested primaries to George McGovern at the convention in Miami Beach, Florida. At the 1972 Democratic National Convention, as a symbolic gesture, McGovern opponent Hubert H. Humphrey released his black delegates to Chisholm,giving her a total of 152 first-ballot votes for the nomination. Chisholm's base of support was ethnically diverse and included the National Organization for Women. Chisholm said she ran for the office "in spite of hopeless odds... to demonstrate the sheer will and refusal to accept the status quo." Among the volunteers who were inspired by her campaign was Barbara Lee, who continued to be politically active and was elected as a congresswoman 25 years later. Betty Friedan and Gloria Steinem attempted to run as Chisholm delegates in New York.
Chisholm created controversy when she visited rival and ideological opposite George Wallace in the hospital soon after his shooting in May 1972, during the 1972 presidential primary campaign. Several years later, when Chisholm worked on a bill to give domestic workers the right to a minimum wage, Wallac
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
June 7, 2025
It’s a shame that Shirley Chisholm is seldom talked about. She was the first Black woman in Congress and championed many laws and programs that continue to benefit millions today, such as WIC and Title IX. Her campaign slogan, “Unbought and Unbossed” was a rallying cry both in favor of the working class and against the predominantly male, white establishment. Her progressive views made her an easy target on the House floor, including from her Democratic colleagues. Regardless, Chisholm was a trailblazer and a necessary thorn in the side of patriarchy.
This book details how Chisholm came to win her congressional seat in 1968 and sheds light on the misogyny and racism she had to endure daily. Through a collection of conversations and interviews, Chisholm also discusses her fight, tenacity, and audacity–as she puts it–to be the first Black woman to seek a major-party nomination for the presidency. This book leaves you inspired to continue fighting despite the odds. At the same time, it leaves you depressed with the reality that much of Chisholm’s vision remains mostly unfulfilled. She expresses her oscillation between the two; she is optimistic about increased representation in Congress and addressing people’s needs. Simultaneously, she is uncertain that the nation will rise to the challenge given the institutions in place. Ultimately, Chisholm’s confidence reminds us all that our voice matters, and we must use it to enact change.
I leave you with some of Chisholm’s lines that I particularly enjoyed:
“The black man must step forward, but that does not mean we have to step back. Where have we ever been? For the last fifteen years, black men have held political office, not women.”
“I am committed to this. An instrument of people in this country who’ve been left out. An instrument of people whose councilman advice has never been sought in terms of putting a ticket together, only using the people every four years for their votes.”
“I want history to remember me, not that I was the first Black woman to be elected to the Congress, not as the first Black woman to have made a bid for the presidency of the United States, but as a Black woman who lived in the twentieth century and who dared to be herself. I want to be remembered as a catalyst for change in America.”
This book details how Chisholm came to win her congressional seat in 1968 and sheds light on the misogyny and racism she had to endure daily. Through a collection of conversations and interviews, Chisholm also discusses her fight, tenacity, and audacity–as she puts it–to be the first Black woman to seek a major-party nomination for the presidency. This book leaves you inspired to continue fighting despite the odds. At the same time, it leaves you depressed with the reality that much of Chisholm’s vision remains mostly unfulfilled. She expresses her oscillation between the two; she is optimistic about increased representation in Congress and addressing people’s needs. Simultaneously, she is uncertain that the nation will rise to the challenge given the institutions in place. Ultimately, Chisholm’s confidence reminds us all that our voice matters, and we must use it to enact change.
I leave you with some of Chisholm’s lines that I particularly enjoyed:
“The black man must step forward, but that does not mean we have to step back. Where have we ever been? For the last fifteen years, black men have held political office, not women.”
“I am committed to this. An instrument of people in this country who’ve been left out. An instrument of people whose councilman advice has never been sought in terms of putting a ticket together, only using the people every four years for their votes.”
“I want history to remember me, not that I was the first Black woman to be elected to the Congress, not as the first Black woman to have made a bid for the presidency of the United States, but as a Black woman who lived in the twentieth century and who dared to be herself. I want to be remembered as a catalyst for change in America.”
October 4, 2021
It was okay. The best part of the book was a feature story by Susan Brownmiller that ran in the New York Times (circa 1969).
In the book's introduction, California congresswoman Barbara Lee says of Shirley Chisholm: "She was a champion of children and struggling families. She spoke fluent Spanish and fought for the rights of immigrants. She stood up against racism and sexism. She opposed the war in Vietnam. She was doing what she knew to be right—regardless of the criticism. She was bold, she was courageous—she was 'unbought and unbossed.' ”
Talk about being ahead of your time. Chisholm was in congress for seven terms, starting in 1969.
The book ends with an interview by Camille Cosby conducted in 2002. Chisholm died in 2005. In her Cosby interview, Chisholm mentions her "audacity" to run for president as a black woman in 1972. In 2006, a black man named Barack Obama published a book call "The Audacity of Hope." Two years later, he was elected president.
Glad I read, but I think I'll search YouTube for some of her speeches and interviews to get a true sense of who she was. She's definitely worth reading more about. Would like to give this book four or five stars, but I'm hoping there are better books and/or documentaries out there about Chisholm.
In the book's introduction, California congresswoman Barbara Lee says of Shirley Chisholm: "She was a champion of children and struggling families. She spoke fluent Spanish and fought for the rights of immigrants. She stood up against racism and sexism. She opposed the war in Vietnam. She was doing what she knew to be right—regardless of the criticism. She was bold, she was courageous—she was 'unbought and unbossed.' ”
Talk about being ahead of your time. Chisholm was in congress for seven terms, starting in 1969.
The book ends with an interview by Camille Cosby conducted in 2002. Chisholm died in 2005. In her Cosby interview, Chisholm mentions her "audacity" to run for president as a black woman in 1972. In 2006, a black man named Barack Obama published a book call "The Audacity of Hope." Two years later, he was elected president.
Glad I read, but I think I'll search YouTube for some of her speeches and interviews to get a true sense of who she was. She's definitely worth reading more about. Would like to give this book four or five stars, but I'm hoping there are better books and/or documentaries out there about Chisholm.
Read
July 14, 2021This is a quick read and a great introduction to Shirley Chisholm if you don't know much about her. Her autobiography, Unbought and Unbossed, is also great, but I really love what comes out in conversation -- shout out to The Last Interview publications in general in this regard.
"Chisholm: I think one of the basic factors is the fact that the American people don't have time to think of anything else. There's so many problems. There's no other country in the world in which citizens have so many problems and so many things to think about.
Cosby: So the time is spent working to pay for everything perhaps.
Chisholm: Yes, yes." p 103
"Chisholm: ...I believe that before a woman can become president of this country, a woman has to be vice president, first of all, so that we will get used to the idea of a woman ascending to high office. That's what I believe." p 107
"Chisholm: I think one of the basic factors is the fact that the American people don't have time to think of anything else. There's so many problems. There's no other country in the world in which citizens have so many problems and so many things to think about.
Cosby: So the time is spent working to pay for everything perhaps.
Chisholm: Yes, yes." p 103
"Chisholm: ...I believe that before a woman can become president of this country, a woman has to be vice president, first of all, so that we will get used to the idea of a woman ascending to high office. That's what I believe." p 107
February 21, 2021
"I'd like them to say that Shirley Chisholm had guts. That's how I'd like to be remembered." - Shirley Chisholm
Chisholm certainly accomplished that goal, but it stands out to me that I really didn't know much about Chisholm other than to have seen her referenced in articles about women running for president over the past few years. When I saw that she was covered in The Last Interview series, it seemed like a good opportunity for me to learn more about her life and accomplishments. Chisholm was the first Black woman elected to Congress (1968) and the first Black woman to run for president (1972). She was never afraid to speak her mind and worked tirelessly on behalf of the people she represented. In The Last Interview and other Conversations, the publisher has collected a series of interviews done with Chisholm, beginning with one in 1969 and ending with one done in 2002. It was interesting to hear not only her perspective on her own life, but also to see what topics were covered in the interviews and how the interview was approached over that 30+ year period. This gave me a good intro to Chisholm's life and impact and made me want to know more -a good sign in any non-fiction read.
"You don't make progress by standing on the sidelines, whimpering and complaining. You make progress by implementing ideas."
Chisholm certainly accomplished that goal, but it stands out to me that I really didn't know much about Chisholm other than to have seen her referenced in articles about women running for president over the past few years. When I saw that she was covered in The Last Interview series, it seemed like a good opportunity for me to learn more about her life and accomplishments. Chisholm was the first Black woman elected to Congress (1968) and the first Black woman to run for president (1972). She was never afraid to speak her mind and worked tirelessly on behalf of the people she represented. In The Last Interview and other Conversations, the publisher has collected a series of interviews done with Chisholm, beginning with one in 1969 and ending with one done in 2002. It was interesting to hear not only her perspective on her own life, but also to see what topics were covered in the interviews and how the interview was approached over that 30+ year period. This gave me a good intro to Chisholm's life and impact and made me want to know more -a good sign in any non-fiction read.
"You don't make progress by standing on the sidelines, whimpering and complaining. You make progress by implementing ideas."
January 19, 2023
next on the reading list: Shirley Chisholm: Champion of Black Feminist Power Politics
highly recommend: Unbought And Unbossed, and of course, Chisholm '72 (documentary).
good luck
highly recommend: Unbought And Unbossed, and of course, Chisholm '72 (documentary).
good luck
October 14, 2022
Really enjoyed this format of a basic history lesson of someone important along with interviews from them! Definitely want to read more from this series.
January 21, 2025
Informative !
November 8, 2025
An excellent book to read while Trump tries to shut down SNAP.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews