The Shirley Chisholm Project

03/03/2026

As we enter the first week of Women’s History month we celebrate all women who are change agents across the globe . We are excited about our Directors upcoming discussion on Chisholm at Brown University this Thursday . When we continue to think of how to operate and promote Democracy what better way to insert Chisholm’s legacy .. oin us for an author discussion of Shirley Chisholm in Her Own Words, a new book edited by Zinga A. Fraser, the leading scholar dedicated to the study of Chisholm’s legacy.

Thursday, March 5, 2026, from noon to 1:30 p.m. in the Racial Justice Resource Center on the second floor of the Rockefeller Library. Free and open to the public.

Many Americans are familiar with Chisholm’s importance as the first Black woman in Congress and the first woman and African American to run for president with either major party. This long-overdue treatment of her work establishes Chisholm as an unparalleled public intellectual and Black feminist both in her time and now. The book not only contextualizes the Civil Rights and Black Power era, it also provides timeless insights on issues that are exceedingly relevant in our current moment. Featuring a captivating introduction by Fraser, Shirley Chisholm in Her Own Words introduces a new generation to one of the most impactful proponents of democracy in America.

https://events.brown.edu/library/event/323095-shirley-chisholm-and-american-democracy

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02/17/2026

What can be said about a towering figure like Rev. Jessie Jackson Sr. He stood in the gap for Black people and served us beyond measure .He affirmed the importance of Black political power and Black pride ! . He appreciated Shirley Chisholm for paving the way for him . At the Chisholm projects exhibition at MCNY we featured pieces and links between Chisholm and Rev Jackson . We are thankful for his courageous life !! We are excited that Rev. Jackson was interviewed for our Directors upcoming book contributing to an expansive history of Black politics

01/14/2026

Happy Founders Day to the women of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc, Inc. We salute Shirley Chisholm and our Director of the Shirley Chisholm Project Dr. Zinga Fraser along with a host of Delta who have supported the Project.

01/14/2026

Happy Founders Day to the women of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., for 113 years of Scholarship and Service . We salute Shirley Chisholm, the Chisholm Projects Director Dr . Zinga Fraser and Brooklyn Alumnae Chapter❤️

11/30/2025

Today The Chisholm Project celebrates Shirley Chisholm’s 101st Birthday! Over 18 years the Chisholm project commemorates the day with our own Chisholm Day. We thank all those who have and continue to support us from the late great Dr . Hazel Dukes to Regina and Reina King and our CUNY Chancellor and members of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. As we embark a new year to celebrate and honor Chisholm’s influence on American Politics and Democracy not only in the U.S. but also the world we are reminded that one person can serve as a Catalyst for Change for many !!

11/16/2025

Excited to see our Director of the Chisholm Project as we lead up to Chisholm’s birthday ! Join us November 16, at 2 PM ET for Sunday Brunch! Dr. Zinga Fraser will lift up Shirley Chisholm’s legacy; Rep. Nicole Collier and Rep. Ashley Bryant Bailey will dig into Black women’s leadership in state legislatures; LaTosha Brown will break down Black voter power heading into 2026; and Kelli Redmond-Bagby will bring a seasonal wellness moment.

🔗 Tune in on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and the House

11/04/2025

On this Election Day at the Chisholm Project we are reminded that Representative Democracy requires us all to not sit on the sidelines but fight on the streets and at the polls . Shirley Taught me !!!

08/15/2025

Chisholm Director was interviewed by the 19th on contradictions and condemnation Michelle Obama faced during her Let’s Move campaign and her creation of the White House Garden with the Trump admin current health initiatives . She stated, “You can’t cut benefits — Medicare, Medicaid, SNAP benefits, all of those things — to children and families and then still have an initiative where people are saying that they are about creating healthy environments for Americans.” Most all she spoke about the long history of Black women who fed and sustained their families and community with their gardens and the importance of Mrs Obama role of Black woman as a health advocate . In the midst of this turmoil we must grow and care for each other in our gardens !

07/13/2025

The Shirley Chisholm Project congratulates the new honorary members of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. We congratulate the Sorority during this monumental 57th National Convention - homecoming celebration in Washington D.C.

07/08/2025

Last Tuesday the Shirley Chisholm Project was so happy to celebrate CUNY Day with students, faculty and staff at our exhibition at the Museum City of NY! Despite his busy schedule we were elated to have Chancellor Felix Matos Rodriguez join us and support the Chisholm Project efforts in maintaining both a public and intellectual legacy of Chisholm especially in challenging times like these . From his conversation with Co- Curator and Chisholm Project Director, the work of SCP is monumental in preserving important history in New York. This exhibition was such an amazing collaborative event with MCNY. We at SCP are thankful about all those who have supported and promoted this exhibit . As we say goodbye in the coming weeks we are steadfast in maintaining the legacy of Shirley Chisholm and as our Director suggested in the title, that while Chisholm Changed the Face of Democracy she helped do so that we might continue to create and expand Democracy within the U.S. and Abroad !!

01/27/2025

53 years ago Saturday, Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm announced her presidential candidacy. Her vision of economic, social, environmental, racial, and democratic justice can be summed up in this quote from her announcement speech:

"The will of each of us is as precious as the most powerful general or corporate millionaire."

This January, the 45th and 47th president (flanked by billionaires) has offered a starkly different vision. In his inaugural address glorifying "businessmen," wealth," "money," and "power," he promised to seize land, restrict the rights of millions of marginalized people, and "pursue our manifest destiny into the stars." We cannot overlook that the term "manifest destiny" was used to justify US territorial expansion fueled by chattel slavery and the genocide of America's Indigenous people.

The anniversary of Shirley Chisholm's presidential campaign announcement illuminates two very different visions. It has never been clearer which one we should be fighting for.

12/09/2024

WATCH | SCP Director Zinga A. Fraser, PhD and Sandra Bookman (ABC7NY) discussed Shirley Chisholm's life, legacy, and inspiration on Sunday.

Watch the full interview here:

https://tinyurl.com/zingafraser-hereandnow

In the interview, Fraser and Bookman discuss the Congresswoman's political impact, the Shirley Chisholm exhibit co-curated by Dr. Fraser at the Museum of the City of New York, her new book "Shirley Chisholm in Her Own Words" (University of California Press) and the future of Black women's politics.

The Africana Studies Dept. at Brooklyn College Wgst Prg BC

"Changing the Face of Democracy: Shirley Chisholm at 100" is currently on display at the Museum of the City of New York and explores Chisholm's lasting impact on American politics.