Who was the first African-American female to be elected to Congress? Not many people know who this amazing woman is. The first African-American female legislator was Shirley Chisholm. Shirley received a college education despite the racism. She also created a club for her fellow classmates who were not admitted to the white clubs. She also ran for President in her lifetime. But those are just a few of the things she has accomplished in her lifetime.
Shirley Anita St. Hill was born in Brooklyn, New York on November 30th, 1924. Her mother's side of the family was from Barbados and her father was from British Guiana. In 1927, Shirley"s parent"s sent her to live with her grandmother in Barbados. Shirley"s parents knew she would receive a better education in Barbados. In 1934 Shirley returned to Brooklyn to finish her education at Girls High School in Brooklyn. Shirley graduated in 1942. Shirley attended Brooklyn College and studied sociology. She graduated Brooklyn College with honors in 1946.
Being African-American and a woman made it difficult for Shirley to find a job after graduation. Eventually Shirley found a job at the Mt. Calvary Childcare Center in Harlem. Shirley married a Jamaican named Conrad Chisholm in 1949. After working as a teacher and child-care director, Shirley allied herself to the New York City Bureau of Child Welfare System. Together, Shirley and Conrad, they contributed to the local politics. Shirley and Conrad helped create the Bedford-Stuyvest Political League. In 1960, Shirley formed the Unity Democratic Club. The club was created to help mobilize African-Americans and Hispanics to vote. .
As the years went by, Shirley turned more and more towards politics. Shirley ran for the state assembly seat in 1964. She won the election and served from 1964 to 1968. While she had a seat at the New York General Assembly she proposed a bill to grant aid to day car centers. She also voted to increase funding for public schools according to how many students the school had.