She Was the First!: The Trailblazing Life of Shirley Chisholm
by Katheryn Russell-Brown
illustrated by Eric Velasquez
illustrated by Eric Velasquez
Category
📚
LearningTranscript
00:00She was the first.
00:12The Trailblazing Life of Shirley Chisholm.
00:16By Catherine Russell Brown.
00:18Illustrations by Eric Velasquez.
00:21Acknowledgements.
00:23Thank you to the following people for their generous help with this book, Barbara Winslow
00:28Professor Emerita, Brooklyn College and Founder Director Emerita of the Shirley Chisholm Project
00:34of Brooklyn Women's Activism, Patti LaMille, Director of Media Relations, Teachers College,
00:42Columbia University, Nyssa Marie Kona Press Secretary, Office of Congresswoman Barbara
00:48Lee and Colleen Bradley Sanders Associate Professor and College Archivist and Marianne
00:53Labano Associate Archivist, Brooklyn.
00:57College Library Archives and Special Collections.
01:01To anyone who's dreamed of doing something that other people say is silly or impossible,
01:06go ahead and try.
01:09Create your own path and be a trailblazer like Shirley Chisholm.
01:13K.R.B.
01:15For Shirley Chisholm and the often overlooked people of the West Indian Community who have
01:20made valuable contributions to American history and culture.
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02:44On a cold November day in 1924, Shirley Anita St. Hill came into this world.
02:52Back then, nobody had an inkling that she would open a door to history.
02:57Shirley, the oldest of the St. Hill girls was a handful for mother and papa.
03:04From the time she was little, Shirley liked to be in charge.
03:08At three, she was already leading children twice her age around the neighborhood telling
03:14them where to go and which games to play.
03:16Listen to me," Shirley said.
03:19And they did.
03:21The St. Hill family lived in Brooklyn, New York.
03:25Papa was a baker's helper and mother was a seamstress and domestic worker.
03:30They barely earned enough money to keep food in the cupboards and supper on the table.
03:36Mother and papa made a tough decision.
03:39They would send the girls to live with mother's family on the Caribbean island of Barbados.
03:45While the children were away.
03:47Papa and mother would save their money and Shirley and her sisters would get a taste
03:52of country living.
03:54In 1928, Shirley her sisters and mother boarded a ocean liner named the Volcania.
04:01After nine rocky days at sea, they arrived in Barbados.
04:06From the port they rode a rickety bus to grandmother's Emmy Lines farm.
04:11Shirley spotted her grandmother right away.
04:14The thin West Indian woman stool as tall as a reed and she looked like serious business.
04:20Island life was nothing like city living.
04:23The days were as hot as an oven and every night Shirley heard an animal concert of chirps
04:29clucks and moos.
04:30Her new home also had something Shirley had never seen, an outhouse.
04:36Mother stayed for a few months to make sure the girls were settled in.
04:41Then she had to go back to Brooklyn to help papa.
04:45The day mother left everyone's face was wet with tears.
04:49Grandmother Emmy Lines house was stocked with love rules and chores.
04:54Fetch the well water.
04:56Feed the animals.
04:58Graze the cows.
05:00When they finished, Shirley her sisters and her cousins enjoyed a special treat.
05:07They raced to the beach ran through the sand and jumped into the clear blue water.
05:12To Shirley, the ocean water felt like warm magic.
05:17The local school was a one-room building with more than a hundred children ages 4 to 11.
05:23The teachers were strict and punished students who did not behave.
05:28Shirley was a fast learner.
05:31She could read and write before she turned five.
05:35Barbados was filled with people with brown skin like Shirley's.
05:40She saw teachers preachers and shopkeepers taking care of island business seeing them.
05:46Shirley understood that when she grew up, she could take charge and get things done too.
05:52Seven years went by.
05:54Mother and Papa were still struggling to earn money.
05:58The Great Depression of the 1930s made it hard for them to find steady jobs.
06:04But no matter.
06:06Mother wanted her girls back home.
06:09In 1934, the year Shirley turned 10, she and her sisters moved back to Brooklyn and a different life.
06:17The city was crowded with automobiles, tall buildings, fast-moving people and a confusing maze of streets.
06:25During the icicle cold winters.
06:28Shirley shivered thinking about the warm Barbados sunshine.
06:33At her new school, Shirley got a sad surprise.
06:37Instead of starting 6th grade, she was put back into 4th grade.
06:42Shirley's schooling in Barbados had been excellent but the teachers in Brooklyn said she didn't know enough U.S. history.
06:50Shirley was upset and embarrassed.
06:53And bored.
06:55Sometimes when the teacher wasn't looking.
06:59Shirley threw spitballs and snapped rubber bands at the younger kids in her class.
07:04Once her teacher realized why Shirley misbehaved, the school gave her a tutor.
07:10In time, Shirley learned all the history she needed to catch up with her classmates.
07:16Education was important in the St. Hill home.
07:20The girls made regular trips to the library to borrow books.
07:25When holidays came, Shirley was sure to receive a book as a present.
07:30Every evening the family dinner table came alive.
07:34Papa talked first Shirley listened closely and asked questions as he discussed world events.
07:41Papa read three newspapers every day.
07:45He was full of information.
07:47When Papa's friends stopped by.
07:50Shirley stayed up late and listened through the bedroom door.
07:54The men talked for hours about world leaders and politics.
07:59Papa said everybody should be treated the same poor rich black white.
08:04Papa's words stirred something inside Shirley.
08:08She stayed paying more attention to current events.
08:12In high school, Shirley earned top grades and was accepted at several colleges.
08:18She chose Brooklyn College just a subway ride away from home.
08:23The school was bigger than any she had attended.
08:26There were so many students.
08:29Shirley loved her classes.
08:31Her brain buzzed with new information about other countries foreign languages and different cultures.
08:38She joined the Harriet Tubman Society, a club where she learned more about black history.
08:45And nobody was surprised when Shirley signed up for the debate team.
08:50She could outtalk anybody.
08:52After her school work was done.
08:55Shirley enjoyed going to parties and dancing.
08:59Shirley wanted to use her education to make the country and the world better for everyone.
09:05But how?
09:07Her favorite teacher.
09:09Professor Walsoff knew Shirley was a great debater.
09:13He suggested she give politics a try.
09:17Shirley had doubts.
09:19She loved children so she decided to be a school teacher instead of a politician.
09:25She would make a difference by helping children.
09:29After she finished college in 1946, Shirley had a hard time finding a job.
09:36Most doors were closed to her because she was black and she was a woman.
09:41Plus, she was very silent.
09:44Don't judge me by my size.
09:46Shirley insisted at an interview to be a nursery school teacher.
09:50Give me a chance.
09:52Shirley got the job.
09:54During the day, Shirley worked with children.
09:58In the evenings, she worked with community groups.
10:02Shirley noticed that people with power and money didn't seem to care about folks who were poor.
10:09This bothered her.
10:11She remembered how it felt to be poor.
10:14So she spoke up and tried to make a difference for people who didn't have power or money.
10:20One time Shirley encouraged the women in a local group to stand up to the men and demand respect.
10:27Another time she noticed that the officials in charge of a meeting were ignoring everyone waiting in line to ask questions.
10:36Shirley rushed to the front and made sure that everyone was allowed to talk.
10:41In the middle of all this work, Shirley found love.
10:45In 1949, she married Conrad Chisholm, a private investigator.
10:51He was handsome, smart and crazy about Shirley.
10:55In the 1950s and 60s, Shirley joined many organizations.
11:01Some local leaders and politicians didn't like her ideas.
11:05They called her a troublemaker because she stood up for women and people of color.
11:11But the people who needed help were glad Shirley was on their side fighting to make sure they were treated fairly.
11:18By 1964, Shirley's heart told her it was time to step into politics.
11:25She had a gift.
11:27People listened when she talked.
11:30Her words motivated them to action.
11:33Shirley decided to take a chance and run for the New York State Assembly.
11:39Vote Chisholm for State Assembly
11:43After Shirley became an assemblywoman, she worked to help the people of New York.
11:49She worked to pass laws to help sick people get the medicine they needed.
11:54She worked to make sure landlords kept the heat on in the winter.
11:59She worked to help people find jobs and to raise pay for workers including those who cleaned houses like her mother.
12:07She worked to help poor students pay for college.
12:11Shirley didn't say or do things just to be popular.
12:15She fought for what she believed was right not what was easy.
12:20She followed grandmother Emmeline's advice always to speak the truth.
12:25Four years later, Shirley decided to run for the US Congress.
12:30She promised to help people all across the country.
12:34Some of the men in Congress tried to keep Shirley out.
12:38They scolded her and said that women didn't belong in politics.
12:43One of her opponents called her a little school teacher.
12:47Many people said they would never vote for a woman.
12:51Shirley dusted off the mean talk.
12:54She kept meeting with people and asking them to vote for her.
12:58Her campaign slogan was Unbought and Unbossed.
13:02Shirley's hard work paid off.
13:05In 1968, she was the first black woman elected to Congress.
13:11In the House of Representatives.
13:14Shirley kept her promise.
13:16She worked for laws that helped women children students poor people farm workers.
13:23Native people and others who were often pushed aside.
13:27She fought for health care.
13:29She spoke up military veterans.
13:32She spoke out against war.
13:35Bring US together.
13:37Vote Chisholm 1972.
13:40Unbought and Unbossed.
13:42While in Congress, Shirley gave many speeches and people of every color and background liked her ideas for change.
13:51But Shirley wanted to take her message to an even bigger audience.
13:56So in 1972, she decided to seek the highest political office in the United States.
14:04Shirley was the first black person, Democrat or Republican to run the president.
14:10Shirley's campaign was full of ups and downs.
14:13Although many people helped her and followed the Chisholm trail their support wasn't enough.
14:19Shirley didn't win the nomination, but her work paved the way for the future for the first black president of the United States and one day the first woman president.
14:30Shirley Anita St. Hill Chisholm opened a door to history.
14:34Shirley Chisholm for President.
14:37The End.
14:49you