United States | Lexington

Shirley Chisholm is still winning

The first black woman to run for president taught a lesson in making political change

illustration shows a woman with her arms raised, making a peace sign. Above her is the female symbol, with the White House and an American flag inside the circle of the symbol.
Illustration: David Simonds

A cynic might gaze at the photograph and sigh that nothing changes in American life: a black woman, a candidate for president, stands before a crowd with a determined look on her face, above a poster extolling a woman’s right to choose abortion. “Defend the Right,” it reads in part. The photograph, in black and white, is from 1972. It hangs in an exhibition at the Museum of the City of New York about Shirley Chisholm, the first black woman to seek the nomination of a major party.

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This article appeared in the United States section of the print edition under the headline “The challenger”

From the October 12th 2024 edition

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