July 24th 2023.
Shirley Chisholm, the first Black woman to serve in Congress, is being honored with her own monument in Brooklyn, New York. This marks a historic first, as Brooklyn has never built permanent public artwork in honor of a woman. The 32-foot-tall memorial, designed by Amanda Williams and Olalekan B. Jeyifous, presents a rising Chisholm from the waist up, made of green, stenciled metal trimmed in gold. The structure of the dome of the U.S. Capitol building extends from the congresswoman, also detailed with gold.
The artists said that the composite profile of the monument symbolizes how Chisholm disrupted the perception of who has the right to occupy such institutions and to be an embodiment for democracy. They said that their project celebrates her legacy as a civil servant who "left the door open" for others to follow in her path.
The monument will stand at Prospect Park's southeast entrance, near Chisholm's hometown of Brownsville, Brooklyn. The eldest daughter of Barbados and Guyana immigrants, Chisholm was an outstanding student. She graduated from Brooklyn College in 1946 and earned her master's degree from Columbia University in 1951 before becoming a member of Congress in 1968.
During her seven terms in Congress, Chisholm introduced over 50 pieces of legislation, advocated for gender and racial equality, and addressed issues such as the Vietnam War and poverty. In 1972, she announced her candidacy for president, receiving only 152 delegate votes against George McGovern, who won at the Democratic National Convention with 1,729.
The monument honoring Shirley Chisholm is a fitting tribute to a remarkable woman who has changed the course of history. Her dedication to justice and equality will live on through the legacy she has left behind.
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