Shirley Chisholm, 80, the first Black woman to serve in Congress and the first woman to seek the Democratic presidential nomination, died Jan. 1 at her home in Ormond Beach, Fla, according to The New York Times. She had reportedly suffered several strokes recently.
Chisholm was an outspoken educator-turned-politician who shattered racial and gender barriers as she became a national symbol of liberal politics in the 1960s and 1970s.
She won her seat in Congress in 1968 with
a victory in Brooklyn’s 12th District, which had been created by court-ordered reapportionment. Her slogan was ‘unbought and unbossed.’ Chisholm challenged the seniority system and in 1972 she ran for president, losing to George McGovern in the primaries.
Chisholm served seven terms in the House; she was a voice for women and minorities.