Bill Text: NY J01925 | 2021-2022 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Shirley Chisholm's 1972 Campaign for President of the United States

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 7-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2022-02-11 - REFERRED TO FINANCE [J01925 Detail]

Download: New_York-2021-J01925-Introduced.html

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Senate Resolution No. 1925

BY: Senator RYAN

        CELEBRATING   the   50th  Anniversary  of  Shirley
        Chisholm's 1972 Campaign for President of the United
        States

  WHEREAS, Shirley  Chisholm  was  born  Shirley  Anita  St.  Hill  on
November  30,  1924,  in  Brooklyn,  New  York,  the daughter of Charles
Christopher St. Hill and Ruby Seale, immigrants from British Guiana  and
Barbados; and

  WHEREAS,  Shirley  Chisholm attended Girls' High School in Brooklyn,
New York, and earned her Bachelor of Arts degree cum laude in 1946, from
Brooklyn College; three years later, she married Conrad O. Chisholm,  an
immigrant  from  Jamaica, and began working as a nursery school teacher;
and

  WHEREAS, Shirley Chisholm furthered her education by  obtaining  her
Master  of  Arts degree in Elementary Education from Teachers College at
Columbia University in 1952, and by 1960, she served as a consultant  to
the New York City Division of Day Care; and

  WHEREAS,  Shirley  Chisholm became more and more socially aware, and
joined local chapters of  the  League  of  Women  Voters,  the  National
Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and the Urban
League; and

  WHEREAS,  In  November  of 1964, Shirley Chisholm was elected to the
New  York  State  Assembly,  representing   the   17th   District,   and
subsequently, the 45th and 55th Districts; and

  WHEREAS,  Shirley  Chisholm  was  then  elected to the United States
House of Representatives in 1968, representing New York's 12th District,
becoming the first Black woman elected to Congress; and

  WHEREAS, Throughout her tenure, "Fighting Shirley"  truly  lived  by
her  motto,  "Unbought and Unbossed"; she introduced more than 50 pieces
of legislation, championed racial and gender equality, the plight of the
poor, and ending the Vietnam War; and

  WHEREAS, In addition, Shirley  Chisholm  was  a  co-founder  of  the
National Women's Political Caucus in 1971, and in 1977, became the first
Black  woman  and second woman ever to serve on the powerful House Rules
Committee; and

  WHEREAS, In that same year, Shirley Chisholm married New York  State
Legislator Arthur Hardwick Jr.; and

  WHEREAS, Shirley Chisholm launched her campaign for President of the
United  States  of  America  on  January  25,  1972, declaring "I am the
candidate of the people of America."; and

  WHEREAS, Shirley Chisholm would go on to serve seven  terms  in  the
United States House of Representatives until retiring in 1982; and

  WHEREAS,  From 1983-1987, Shirley Chisholm taught both sociology and
politics at Mount Holyoke College, and later, became a visiting  scholar
at Spelman College; and

  WHEREAS,  Shirley Chisholm passed away on January 1, 2005, in Ormond
Beach, Florida, and is interred at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Buffalo,  New
York; and

  WHEREAS,  Shirley  Chisholm became the first Black woman to seek the
nomination of a major party  for  President  of  the  United  States  of
America,  making her a true trailblazer for women and Black Americans in
the United States; and

  WHEREAS, Shirley Chisholm worked tirelessly to  help  the  poor  and
vulnerable  of  society,  and  always fought for equal justice under the
law, and equality for all Americans; now, therefore, be it

  RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its  deliberations  to
honor  Shirley  Chisholm  for  her  commitment  to  public  service, her
outspoken advocacy, and tireless dedication to creating a  more  perfect
union, as we mark the 50th Anniversary of her inspirational campaign for
the Presidency of the United States of America.