A GIF Look Back at Shirley Chisholm’s Historic Run for President

52 years ago, New York Rep. Shirley Chisholm formally announced her presidential campaign, making history as the first Black woman to run for president.

Chisholm announced her campaign in Brooklyn on January 25, 1972. She also made history as the first woman to run for the Democratic presidential nomination.

Chisholm was no stranger to historic firsts: in 1968, she became the first Black woman elected to Congress.

Who was Chisholm? Chisholm got her start in politics in 1964 when she won election to the New York State Legislature.

Before politics, Chisholm was a nursery school teacher and a consultant to New York City’s Division of Day Care.

In 1968, Chisholm was elected to the U.S. House to represent New York’s 12th Congressional District; she served seven terms.

Chisholm ran both her presidential and House campaigns under the same slogan: “Unbought and Unbossed.”

Here’s what Chisholm said at her presidential launch event:

“I stand here now without endorsements from many big-name politicians or celebrities or any other kind of prop. I do not intend to offer to you the tired and glib clichés, which for too long have been [an] accepted part of our political life.

I am the candidate of the people of America. And my presence before you, now, symbolizes a new era in American political history.”

“I have faith in the American people. I believe that we are smart enough to correct our mistakes. I believe we are intelligent enough to recognize the talent, energy, and dedication which all Americans, including women and minorities, have to offer.”

“We Americans are all fellow countrymen, one day confronting the judgment of history in our country. We are all God’s children and the will of each of us is as precious as the will of the most powerful General or corporate millionaire.”

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