\nU.S. Rep. Chisholm Brings Intersectionality to Congress<\/a>
\nMs. Chis for Pres<\/a>
\nThe Chisholm Effect & Black Female Politics<\/a>
\nSources & Resources<\/a><\/p>\n
This digital project explores \u201cidentity politics\u201d through the lens of Shirley Chisholm\u2019s political career, reflecting on her contributions and impact on other black female political leaders in the United States.<\/strong> <\/span><\/p>\n Black women in politics operate at the intersection of their blackness and womanhood<\/p><\/div>\n When people hear the term “identity politics,” most people think of the utilization of a politician\u2019s race and\/or gender identity to advance their own political careers. Specifically, in the modern political context, the concept of “identity politics” is often used to frame the candidacies of marginalized (i.e. non-white, non-male) politicians, which operate in a field dominated by rich white men. Whether it is identifying as female or coming from a racially marginalized community, a minority candidate\u2019s campaign-related decisions, policy proposals, and ideological leanings tend to be minimized and supplanted by society\u2019s focus on their identities. <\/span><\/p>\n This narrow take on “identity politics” ignores the prolonged history of politicians\u2019 utilization of whiteness and masculinity to advance their careers. <\/a>\u00a0Particularly, while the term “identity politics” is often used to denigrate the policy proposals and campaign tactics of candidates who hold marginalized status, the reality is that, throughout American history, white men have benefitted the most from “identity politics.”\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n While much discussed, the concept of “identity politics” is rarely defined with much clarity. To center this often nebulous debate, <\/span>this project uses the definition provided by Harvard psychology professor Steve Pinker<\/span><\/a>, who sees “identity politics” as:<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe syndrome in which people\u2019s beliefs and interests are assumed to be determined by their membership in groups, particularly their sex, race, sexual orientation, and disability status. Its signature is the tic of preceding a statement with \u2018As a,\u2019 as if that bore on the cogency of what was to follow.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n With this framework in mind, this project examines the notorious political career of Shirley Chisholm, which exemplifies how Pinker’s definition of “identity politics” operates as a political practice. Particularly, by not shying away from utilizing her marginalized racial and gender identities, Chisholm provides a model that is similar to the identity-heavy approach taken by white men throughout American political history. That is, Chisholm utilized\u00a0<\/span>the intersectionality of her racial and gender identities to advance both her Congressional tenure and historic presidential campaign. More specifically,<\/span>\u00a0through the evaluation of Chisholm\u2019s political career, this website shows how “identity politics” can operate as a successful political practice, especially among black female politicians.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Born in Brooklyn, New York in 1924 to parents from Barbados and Guyana, Shirley Chisholm was the first black Congresswoman in American history, representing NY\u2019s 12th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1969 to 1983. Before being elected to Congress in 1968, Chisholm, a graduate of Brooklyn College and Columbia University\u2019s Teachers College, had served New Yorkers as a State Assembly member for four years. She had also worked as the Director of the Hamilton-Madison child care center, where she first became involved in politics. <\/span><\/p>\n In January 1972, Chisholm <\/span>announced her candidacy for the Presidency of the United States<\/span><\/a>, becoming not only the first black major-party candidate but also the first woman ever to run for the Democratic Presidential nomination. In the 1972 Democratic Presidential Primaries, she received over 430 thousand votes (2.7%), coming in at<\/span> fourth place with over 150 delegates<\/span><\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n Given her historic career, Chisholm, who died in 2005, has become a political idol for many Americans, especially in feminist, liberal, and black political circles.<\/span><\/p>\n This interactive timeline<\/a> highlights the pivotal moments of Chisholm’s life and career:<\/strong><\/p>\n <!– <\/a><\/p>\n Throughout her four years in the <\/span>New York State Assembly, Chisholm <\/span><\/a>\u00a0successfuly\u00a0advocated for improving childhood education, employment benefits for domestic workers, and maternity leave for female teachers, helping to pass legislation to those ends. Building on those legislative victories, in 1948, Chisholm ran to represent Brooklyn’s Bedford-Stuyvesant community as well as other parts of the borough in the U.S. House of Representatives. In a contentious race against <\/span>James Farmer,<\/span><\/a> a black male civil rights leader who ran as a Republican, Chisholm reached out to different minority communities. For instance, she <\/span>often spoke Spanish<\/span><\/a> – a language she learned as a school teacher – to Puerto Ricans and other Spanish-speaking voters. <\/span>The race was was filled with sexist attacks against Chisholm:<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n \u201cAnother of the personal issues in the campaign is that Mrs. Chisholm is a woman, and Negroes, particularly militant males, are reacting to generations of \u2018matriarchal dominance.\u2019 While Mr. Farmer does not assail Mrs. Chisholm directly, his printed matter dwells on the need for a \u2018strong male image\u2019 and \u2018a man\u2019s voice in Washington.\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Chisholm responded by stating:<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI have always spoken out for what I believe: I cannot be controlled.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n On Election Night – November 5, 1968 – <\/span>Chisholm won with over two thirds of the votes<\/span><\/a>, making history by becoming the country\u2019s first African American woman elected to Congress. Here is how the African American magazine <\/span>Ebony<\/span><\/i> reported Chisholm\u2019s victory<\/span><\/a>: <\/span><\/p>\n\n\t\t![\"\"](\"http:\/\/commons.princeton.edu\/aas303\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/105\/2019\/04\/maxresdefault.jpg\")
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![The race was was filled with sexist attacks against Chisholm:<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n\u201cAnother of the personal issues in the campaign is that Mrs. Chisholm is a woman, and Negroes, particularly militant males, are reacting to generations of \u2018matriarchal dominance.\u2019 While Mr. Farmer does not assail Mrs. Chisholm directly, his printed matter dwells on the need for a \u2018strong male image\u2019 and \u2018a man\u2019s voice in Washington.\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\nChisholm responded by stating:<\/a><\/p>\n\u201cI have always spoken out for what I believe: I cannot be controlled.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\nOn Election Night – November 5, 1968 – <\/span>Chisholm won with over two thirds of the votes<\/span><\/a>, making history by becoming the country\u2019s first African American woman elected to Congress. Here is how the African American magazine <\/span>Ebony<\/span><\/i> reported Chisholm\u2019s victory<\/span><\/a>: <\/span><\/p>\n\n\t\t](\"https:\/\/thenib.imgix.net\/usq\/5a5fc153-c1da-4623-b1fb-9926154f65db\/she-dared-to-be-herself-shirley-chisholm-s-legacy-15-964.png?auto=compress,format&cs=srgb&_=964873c1ba67d1c79c4cad8f854e8265\"){kind=link}