Do you think America is ready for a woman president?
I think America is more ready for a woman president
than it has ever been before.
On 25 January 1972, Shirley Chisholm became the first
black woman to run for the US presidency.
I am not the candidate for black America,
although I’m black and proud.
I’m not the candidate for female America,
although I’m equally proud of that.
I’m the candidate for all Americans.
While other Democratic candidates jet across the state she travels in a greyhound bus
accompanied by her supporters and a small band of journalists.
The atmosphere is decidedly folksy.
She couldn’t raise the kind of money that the guys could raise,
but I did a lot of fundraising.
Brunches for Shirley Chisholm,
fashion shows for Shirley Chisholm.
Shirley Chisholm puts in a 14-hour campaign day
when she’s not on a platform she’s canvassing in the streets and the public parks.
I actually was the one who talked to Huey Newton,
and convinced him that the Black Panther Party should get involved in her campaign,
and they did, so we conducted a massive voter registration drive,
and so, we did it differently.
Shirley Chisholm plays her piano at an Arlington cocktail party,
it's being held in her honour by affluent white ladies.
They hope she can get enough delegate support to influence
the party platform at its July convention.
Four years earlier, Chisholm had been elected to the US Congress.
Mrs Chisholm, how does it feel to be the first black woman in Congress?
Well, it's long overdue but it's the most wonderful feeling.
I had a course in government
and part of the course requirement was to work at a presidential campaign,
and I said, “no way, these guys don’t reflect the issues and the concerns that I have”.
But at the same time, I was president of the black student union.
I invited Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm to speak.
What is so wrong with an Indian for the head of the Department of Interior,
and a woman for the head of ATW,
yes, and a black man for vice-president.
She came, and she spoke, and she said she was running for president,
and she talked about immigrant rights, she spoke fluent Spanish,
she talked about reproductive healthcare for women.
I have a picture of several of us young women with Shirley
and I'm sort of in the background looking over at her in awe,
and I felt like, oh my god this woman.
She's taking on this white male dominated Congress.
I ended up organising the Northern California Shirley Chisholm primary campaign
out of my class at Mills College.
Hands reach out for her as they once did for Bobby Kennedy,
and in Quincy the candidate catches fire.
Despite the people's wholehearted response,
most of America's black political leaders are withholding their support.
I remember going to the Black Political Convention in Gary, Indiana,
and the guys would not allow the endorsement of her to come forward,
even though she was the only black person running for the presidency.
Some called her crazy, some said she didn't know what she was doing.
It was very, very tense.
While the black caucus bickered to find a consensus male candidate,
Mrs Chisholm outmanoeuvred them
by declaring herself the champion of America’s black people.
In 1972, the candidate and segregationist, George Wallace...
was shot at a campaign rally and left paralysed.
George Wallace was the one who turned dogs on black people in Alabama.
He was the worst person in the world in terms of racism,
and Shirley Chisholm went to visit him in the hospital.
Well, some of us went ballistic!
I could not understand why she would go visit this segregationist,
and she said, he’s a human being, he got shot, and he’s going to be paralysed,
and you never know, maybe I can help him see his racist nature,
but he then became an ally on some issues
that Shirley Chisholm was working on in Congress.
Chisholm finished fourth with 152 delegate votes.
She was really happy about what she had accomplished.
She said, at the end the country was different
and she said, I hope I've opened the door for
people who look like me to see they can do it too.
And she paved the way for Jesse Jackson and then Barack Obama.
You’ve been in politics now for more than 20 years,
don’t you ever get tired of fighting an uphill battle?
I hope eventually to be able to just sit back
and guide a lot of beautiful young leaders in this country.
Rep. Lee wore Shirley Chisholm's pearls at the 2021 inauguration.
I was so proud to be able to wear her pearls, her goddaughter sent them to me.
It was just for me a remarkable moment to have Shirley Chisholm there.
It was because of Shirley Chisholm I am,
and because of Shirley Chisholm, Kamala Harris is.